Question

what are the relevance of legislative and regulatory interventions in changing unhealthy lifestyles and behavior?

b. what are the legal implications and are they successful?

Answer 1

Ans) Several World Health Organisation reports over recent years have highlighted the high incidence of chronic diseases such as diabetes, coronary heart disease and cancer. Contributory factors include unhealthy diets, alcohol and tobacco use and sedentary lifestyles.

- Six different health-related behaviours in the review: healthy eating, physical exercise, smoking, alcohol misuse, sexual risk taking (in young people) and illicit drug use.

- Despite limitations of the review of reviews approach, it is encouraging that there are interventions that are effective in achieving behavioural change. Further emphasis in both primary studies and secondary analysis (e.g. systematic reviews) should be placed on assessing the differential effectiveness of interventions across different population subgroups to ensure that health inequalities are addressed.

b) Legal implications are the results or consequences of being involved in something according to the law. A good example is the case of marriage. As a consequence of being married, all property is considered co-owned as long as you acquired after you got married. A legal implication can either be positive or negative.

- From the public health perspective, these kinds of laws are justified because they reduce behavioral risks, thereby improving the population's health and longevity. At the same time, many argue that individuals should have the right to make their own decisions about behaviors that primarily affect themselves.