Making prevention a priority: One year on from the Prevention Green Paper

It’s been one year since the Government vowed to take steps to detect and prevent ill health with the launch of its Prevention Green Paper: Advancing our health prevention in the 2020s – and we’re still waiting on the Government to present measurable interventions which will help produce true health benefits. 

While the paper was a positive first step towards making prevention a priority, the road to materialising these plans remains vague. Prevention is better than cure, and we need to see comprehensive roadmaps delivered to help the 7.4 million people in the UK living with heart and circulatory diseases, and millions more at risk of developing these conditions in future. 

One year on, the best anniversary present would be a comprehensive obesity strategy, a roadmap to a smokefree UK, and WHO guideline limits on air pollution enshrined in law.

Tackling obesity 

Children with obesity are five times more likely to become adults with obesity. Entering adulthood already with a risk factor for heart and circulatory diseases, puts them at greater risk of a heart attack or a stroke at an earlier age.

Addressing the nation's obesity crisis must remain a top prevention priority for the Government. 

Last year’s paper outlined promising action on obesity – particularly around the possibility of extending the sugar tax to cover sugary, milky drinks. The paper also reiterated a pledge to halve childhood obesity by 2030. 

While the intent is there, we’re still waiting for action in this area, and we need to make sure the Government stands by its commitments.

Decisive intervention means a 9pm watershed on advertising unhealthy foods, clear labelling of calorie content in cafes, restaurants and bars, and tighter restrictions on the promotion of foods high in fat, salt and sugar. This will support families in making more informed and healthier choices. 

We hope to see the Prime Minister commit to these protective measures when he makes his anticipated announcement on obesity in the coming weeks.

Cleaning up the nation’s air

There are around 11,000 deaths from heart and circulatory diseases every year in the UK that are attributable to air pollution. 

To address this, we have invested millions of pounds worth of research since the early 2000s. Our research has shown that PM_2.5 can have several harmful effects on the heart and circulatory system, both contributing to the development of and exacerbating heart and circulatory diseases. Our research has also indicated that it can increase the risk of having a heart attack or stroke.

In last year’s paper, the Department of Health and Social Care committed to working with Defra on improving public awareness around the health implications of air pollution. However, we’ve yet to see that come to fruition. The green paper also committed to improving data and monitoring to enhance our understanding of air pollution as a public health crisis.

The anniversary of the publication of the Government’s green paper coincides with it being one year on from a landmark Defra report on air pollution. The publication looked at whether the UK could reach World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines on PM_2.5 – fine particulate matter than causes damage to the heart and circulatory system. 

The UK currently subscribes to EU guidelines, which set a limit that is more than double that recommended by the WHO. However,evidence published last year claimed that reaching WHO guidelines on PM_2.5 by 2030 is “technically feasible”. 

We now need to see the ongoing Environment Bill fulfil the Government’s pledge to reduce emissions of dangerous air pollutants by 2030, as recommended by the WHO. 

A smoke-free country 

The Government last year set out positive bold ambitions to create a smoke-free country by 2030. Moving forward, we need to see a thorough plan as to how this is going to be achieved. 

Quitting smoking is the single best thing you can do for your heart and circulation. Chemicals in cigarette smoke cause the blood to thicken and form clots inside the arteries. They also damage the artery walls so fatty material can stick to them causing plaques to form which can narrow the arteries and cause heart attacks and strokes.

A healthier future for all 

The Government’s plans have the potential to prevent millions of people from developing life threatening conditions. But without clear strategies and clear timelines for how they can be implemented, that is exactly how they will remain – as plans. 

Everyone in the UK deserves a healthy future – it is now up to the Government to give them the chance to live it by delivering comprehensive roadmaps.