‘Healthy living’ message needs strengthening
More people could be persuaded to adopt a healthy lifestyle if the NHS uses more sophisticated marketing techniques, according to a leading think tank. *
The Department of Health invested £50m in 2007/08 to promote the importance of healthy living, but the NHS spends more than £6bn on treating the effects of unhealthy behaviour, such as smoking and obesity.
The Kings Fund report states that providing information on its own has little effect. Evidence shows that employing a variety of tactics, including copying the strategies of commercial advertisers, is more effective.
The year-long investigation into different methods of tackling smoking, alcohol misuse, poor diet and lack of exercise, found that the behaviours are "deep-rooted social habits" that cannot be easily changed.
One of the many successful strategies highlighted by the report was a ‘Chill Out Cabin’ outside a nightclub, which was set up by a health trust in Liverpool to offer young people health advice, non-alcoholic drinks and alternative therapies such as massages.
Westfield Health believes in the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle and taking preventative measures to minimise risks to health.
Many of Westfield’s health cash plans include an acupuncture benefit, which enables policyholders to claim money back towards the cost of their treatment. Acupuncture can be used to tackle conditions such as stress, anxiety and phobias, as well as addiction, and is often used to help people stop smoking.
Additionally, some Westfield plans include a health club concession benefit, which provides policyholders with access to special concessionary deals at a range of UK health and fitness clubs.
Read more about the Advantage Plan: http://www.westfieldhealth.com/corporate-health-plans/advantage/index.asp
Read more about the Good4You Plan: http://www.westfieldhealth.com/my-westfield/good4you/index.asp
*Read more about this story: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7767603.stm
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