Public Health England (PHE) exists to protect and improve the nation’s health and wellbeing, and reduce health inequalities. It does this through world-class science, knowledge and intelligence, advocacy, partnerships and the delivery of specialist public health services.
The challenge
Using digital and mobile technology, and the insights of behavioural science, PHE aims to provide personalised support on a mass scale and reach people they have not been able to reach before.
Not only is 82% of the population online, but today’s smartphones and wearable technology, for example, are allowing people to measure their own heart rates or count how many steps we take every day. PHE needed to develop new approaches to motivate and support people to make healthy changes in a way that resonates with them, including four of the seven priorities highlighted in their ‘From evidence into action’ priorities report:
- Tackling obesity
- Reducing smoking
- Reducing harmful drinking
- Ensuring every child has the best start in life
PHE continue to support local authorities and the NHS in adopting digital tools, building on the Change4Life and Stoptober campaigns, which already engage hundreds of thousands of people each year and on innovation programmes such as the How are you campaign (HAY).
Fast forward five years we are starting to see good progress, with high consumer engagement with the apps and some outstanding achievements with C25K really playing a key role during the pandemic lockdown.
