These include a range of factors to do with how we all live our lives - diet, physical activity, sexual behaviour, smoking, alcohol and drugs. Social and economic issues play a part too - poverty, unemployment and social exclusion. So too does our environment - air and water quality, and housing. To improve the health of the worst off in society and to narrow the health gap. To achieve these aims, the Government is setting out a third way between the old extremes of individual victim blaming on the one hand and nanny state social engineering on the other.
Good health is no longer about blame, but about opportunity and responsibility.
While people on their own can find it hard to make a difference, when individuals, families, local agencies and communities and the Government work together deep-seated problems can be tackled. Our third way is a national contract for better health. Government, local communities and individuals will join in partnership to improve all our health' For its part, the Government will help assess the risk to health by making sure that people are given information on health which is accurate, understandable and credible. Where there are real threats to health we will not hesitate to take tough action - though regulation and legislation will be the exception, not the rule. Health Authorities will have a key role in leading local alliances to develop Health Improvement Programmes, which will identify local needs and translate the national contract into local action.