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A campaign to persuade middle-aged adults to adopt a healthier lifestyle so they live longer and healthier has been launched by Public Health England (PHE).
The One You campaign includes an online quiz to assess which bad habits – such as those relating to eating, alcohol consumption, smoking and exercise – need to change in order to live longer and healthier.
A campaign website has been established that promotes the NHS health check, which is available for all 40 to 74 year olds in England, alongside other steps that can be taken to stop bad habits and lead a healthier life. The One You website includes links to commercial partners, including Asda pharmacy as a venue for blood pressure screening.
Kevin Fenton, national director of PHE, says the scale of the campaign is “unprecedented”.
“For the first time PHE is launching a campaign that talks to adults directly about all of the things they can do to improve their health,” he says.
Sandra Gidley, chair of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s English Pharmacy Board, says pharmacists can complement the campaign by offering opportunistic health advice to patients. “It’s important to address lifestyle issues such as diet and exercise from a number of different angles,” she says.
The PHE says around 42% of middle-aged people in England live with at least one long-term condition, but living healthily in middle age can double the chances of being healthy at 70.
