LONDON: The UK government is pledging to end smoking by 2030 as part of a range of measures to tackle the causes of preventable ill health.
Promoting physical activity, developing guidelines on sleep and targeting those at risk of diabetes are also set out as priorities in the green paper.
The policy document aims to reduce the number of years spent in poor health. Currently men and women spend over a fifth of their lives in ill health – 19 years for women and 16 for men.
Those in deprived areas experience the longest periods of poor health, BBC reported. The green paper, which will now be consulted on, proposes a number of ways of tackling this.
They include:
- Ensuring any smoker admitted to hospital automatically gets offered help to quit
- Extending tooth brushing schemes in nurseries and primary schools
- Reviewing the evidence on sleep and health with a view to developing clear national guidance on daily recommended hours of sleep
- Encouraging “active play” such as skipping in nurseries and more travel by bike and on foot
Doubling funding for the diabetes prevention programme which targets lifestyle support to those most at risk of developing type 2 diabetes
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