The white paper on public health

doi:10.1136/bmj.329.7477.1247

BMJ 2004;329:1247-1248 (27 November), doi:10.1136/bmj.329.7477.1247

Editorial

The white paper on public health

Is promising, but has some blind spots, which must be tackled

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

The white paper Choosing Health: making healthy choices easierlays out the government's approach to tackling a broad rangeof public health challenges from smoking, obesity, and drinkingto mental and sexual health.¹ Positive aspects, such as signpostingfoods to indicate their fat, salt, and sugar contents have quiterightly been welcomed. Limitations, including the ironic couplingof the emphasis on individual choice with a failure to tacklesecondhand smoke, are being highlighted by the relevant expertgroups. The public are developing an awareness of the relevanceof these public health issues in their lives, thanks in partto the substantial media coverage of the report's contents andof stakeholders' responses. At least these problems are beginningto get a thorough public airing, which must be a step in theright direction for further policy change. However, to maximisethe benefits of such a substantial switch towards prevention,as . . . [Full text of this article]

Rosalind Raine, MRC clinician scientist

Department of Public Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London WC1E 7HT (Rosalind.raine@lshtm.ac.uk)

Gill Walt, head

Department of Public Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London WC1E 7HT

Ian Basnett, assistant director of public health

North East London Strategic Health Authority, 81 Commercial Road, London E1 1RD

CiteULike

Complore

Connotea

Del.icio.us Add to Digg

Digg

StumbleUpon Add to Technorati

Technorati

Twitter What's this?

Relevant Article

The partial smoking ban in licensed establishments and health inequalities in England: modelling study: Alan A Woodall, Emma J Sandbach, Catherine M Woodward, Paul Aveyard, and Graham Merrington
BMJ 2005 331: 488-489. [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]

This article has been cited by other articles:

South, J., Woodward, J., Lowcock, D. (2007). New beginnings: stakeholder perspectives on the role of health trainers. The Journal of the Royal Society for the Promotion of Health 127: 224-230 [Abstract]
Woodall, A. A, Sandbach, E. J, Woodward, C. M, Aveyard, P., Merrington, G. (2005). The partial smoking ban in licensed establishments and health inequalities in England: modelling study. BMJ 331: 488-489 [Full text]

Rapid Responses:

Read all Rapid Responses

Blind spots and opportunities: Nigel Dudley
bmj.com, 26 Nov 2004 [Full text]
Health prevention or NHS DIY?: Mitzi A J Blennerhassett
bmj.com, 27 Nov 2004 [Full text]
Seize the opportunity: Chris J Lovitt
bmj.com, 26 Nov 2004 [Full text]
Public health white paper - BMJ needs to balance the blind and bright spots: Padmanabhan Badrinath
bmj.com, 27 Nov 2004 [Full text]
The White Paper on Public Health: Dr Charles Goodson-Wickes
bmj.com, 8 Dec 2004 [Full text]