Unit 31
D2- Evaluate how a health promotion campaign has impacted on UK public health
In modern society and daily life, we see promotion campaigns everywhere, whether they be related to
our health or not, these campaigns play a big part in our society, they lead to changes and they help
influence policy in the UK. However, how do health campaigns as such impact public health in the UK?
Well, I will tell you by, carrying out this task and evaluate how a health promotion campaign has
impacted UK public health.
How a health promotion campaign has impacted on UK public health
Healthy eating campaign
In the past there have been many health promotion, healthy eating campaigns in the UK, such as Live
Life Well, however, for this task I am going to use a more modern relevant campaign known as
“Nutrition on the go” which was launched by Public Health England on the 6 th of March 2018. The
program was introduced in an effort to tackle obesity and overeating as PHE said there was an ongoing
“calorie creep” with adults across the national consuming an extra 200-300+ calories a day over the daily
expected calorie consumption. The campaign took on what PHE called the “400-600-600” approach to
manage and stop the ongoing calorie creep. According to PHE, “The new campaign provides adults with
a simple tip to help them make healthier choices while out and about – aim for 400-600-600. That’s
around 400 calories for breakfast, 600 for lunch and 600 for dinner, plus a couple of healthier snacks and
drinks in-between.”
The campaign since its introduction has been published on the radio, digitally and on billboard
advertisements across the UK to target the ongoing overeating concern and tackle health conditions
such as obesity, diabetes, and coronary heart disease. The campaign was introduced following the
governments “one you” campaign to improve healthy eating and activity set out on major food retailers
such as Greggs, McDonald’s, Starbucks and subway on how to promote the campaign, leading to these
four retailers providing a range of products around 400 calories for breakfast, and 600 for lunch and
dinner to help the campaign and target the “calorie creep” and overeating. The new campaign, as I have
explained tries to prevent the ongoing overeating and obesity epidemic and decrease the consumption
of calories consumed daily in an attempt to protect public health. But, has these campaign been
effective, and if so, how has it influenced and impacted public health both negatively and positively, I
will evaluate below.
, Positive
The 400,600,600 and Nutrition on the go campaign has had a positive influence on the nation and on UK
public health. The message from the strategy has both its positive and negative implications and
approaches. The message again like many others conveys common health concerns like diabetes and
obesity and shows the UK how essential it is that we take control of our diets and improve our health as
a nation. A big problem behind the ongoing obesity epidemic is lack of nutritional knowledge to the
growing public, and what the message does with the help of food chains and organisations is tell the
nation what a suitable diet and amount of calories looks like, which could educate the nation more on
nutritional knowledge and encourage many to improve their nutrition and look into more knowledge so
that better healthier choices can be established and carried out.
The strategy also positively influences public health by encouraging the tracking of calories which is an
important part of a healthy diet. If we do not track how many calories we eat, how will we know if we
are sticking to the 400,600,600 rule or going completely off task? So, a positive is that it that the strategy
can introduce the concept of calorie counting to the help the general public stick to their diets and live a
healthy lifestyle and improve health.
The strategy in itself like many other healthy eating strategies is effective in the way that it tackles the
obesity epidemic seen in the UK. The goal of the strategy is to cut the calorie creep and decrease obesity
and promote a healthy weight and healthy eating which is a positive influence in itself, because if we
actively campaign and try to reduce and defeat obesity then we can protect ourselves and prevent the
disease and ill-health obesity and obesity related conditions such as diabetes, and coronary heart
disease bring.
Ever since the campaign was introduced back on the 6 th of March of 2018, much has been done and
developed and the campaign in ways has changed since it was introduced. The campaign has been
around for a small amount of time and with the ongoing COVID outbreak making the nation knees deep
in other problems it’s hard to tell if the campaign has in fact caused obesity levels to diminish. But,
without a doubt has the campaign been positively influential to public health, with the support of food
industries to choose healthy choices, I believe in time, when the world is at peace, that the campaign
itself will be influential in bettering public health and improving the health of the nation. The
introduction of the campaign has not only given the public the recommended calorie intake, but also a
reason to better their health, to make them feel better and prevent the ever so daunting and
devastation calorie creep.