The size of glass used for serving wine can influence the amount of wine drunk, suggests new research from the University of Cambridge, funded by the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR). The study found that when restaurants served wine in 370ml rather than 300ml glasses they sold more wine, and tended to sell less […]
Public support for a policy can be increased by communicating evidence of its effectiveness
Small increases in public support for policies to address problems such as obesity, gun crime and climate change could be achieved by providing evidence about what works, according to the first systematic review of studies exploring the impact of communicating policy effectiveness on public support, published today in Royal Society Open Science. Concerted national and […]
Veg ‘nudge’: extra vegetarian option reduces meat consumption without denting food sales
A study of over 94,000 cafeteria meal choices has found that doubling the vegetarian options – from one in four to two in four – reduced the proportion of meat-rich purchases by between 40-80% without affecting overall food sales. The results are from the first major study to look at whether tweaking food availability […]
Snack tax may be more effective than a sugary drink tax to tackle obesity, according to a new modelling study
Taxing high sugar snacks such as biscuits, cakes, and sweets might be more effective at reducing obesity levels than increasing the price of sugar sweetened drinks, suggests a study from Professor Theresa Marteau and colleagues, published in The BMJ. The effect seen in this study was double that seen for a similar price increase on […]
Increasing healthy life expectancy equitably in England by 5 years by 2035: could it be achieved?
In this Lancet Comment, Professor Dame Theresa Marteau, Professor Martin White and colleagues explain how increases in healthy life expectancy for the poorest as well as the rich might be achieved, in the context of an expected new prevention strategy for England setting out how the UK Government seeks to achieve life expectancy goals it […]
Changing Behaviour for a Healthier Population: PCU contributions to the Annual Report of the CMO, 2018
Professor Dame Sally Davies’s tenth report as Chief Medical Officer, published just before Christmas 2018, examines the strategic opportunities over the coming two decades for the health of the nation. The report includes a detailed look at how principles for changing behaviour to improve health and reduce health inequalities could be applied, authored by Professor […]