Here comes the bandwagon?

This week I have set myself the task of re-writing my masters dissertation proposal, having dropped the previous plan to explore democratic legitimacy in NHS commissioning (yawn) in favour of behavioural economics and public policy. Notably this change in approach has come following a change in career, leaving behind my previous NHS role to take on a new challenge establishing ICE Creates’ new health and lifestyle services division.

This task has prompted some reflection.Being passionate about sustained behaviour change for many years through the social marketing work I have led on, it is great to see behaviour change and the ‘nudge’ becoming increasingly popular in public policy, so much so that the House of Lords Select Committee on Science and Technology is investigating behaviour change and its impact on achieving policy objectives (thanks committee, for doing my lit review!). The Cabinet Office also has a behavioural insights team whose role is to prompt government to think outside regulation with a team of civil servants drawing on behavioural economics to focus on a range of issues from smoking cessation to increasing charity donations.

I am eager to see the outcome of the Select Committee report as it should make great contemporary reading on the subject, especially as it is also analysing the evidence base for different forms of interventions to change behaviour and the ethical issues to which they give rise. The published written evidence should provide a considerable resource for local authorities, the NHS and their public and voluntary sector partners to assist in deciding which interventions are most likely to be effective, and to think through the ethical implications if they wish to take a behaviour change approach in a particular policy area.

However, with excitement and geeky fascination comes fear, fear that policy makers will jump on the bandwagon in an ill informed manner, peppering their policy papers with references to nudge, behavioural economics and interventions based on committee discussions and little insight or co-creation with the people whose behaviour we seek to change. I remember all too well when suddenly everyone got excited about social marketing (despite the concept being more than three decades old at the time) throwing considerable resource and energy at projects which were not properly insight-led, planned, executed or evaluated (often involving an advert on the side of a bus). It will be down to experts in the field to lead the way as changemakers and ensure that change is embraced, not crushed.

Kellogs leads the way

One to watch!

This week a key meeting takes place in Brussels (12th July) exploring consumer behaviour and healthy lifestyles. According to Foodnavigator.com, breakfast cereal giant Kellogg’s European Breakfast Club is hosting a symposium looking at how consumers are motivated to adopt healthier or more sustainable habits and the role that industry can play.

The event taking place in Brussels will explore how behavioural insights can be incorporated into product design to promote healthy and sustainable consumption. It will also look at where industry responsibility ends and that of policy makers and consumers’ begins. Certainly one to watch and the subject of a future blog…

Changemakers unite

Be among the first to discover a brand new website that aims to unite changemakers together in an online community to drive forward the behaviour change agenda.

Still in early development the site encourages people to make the first step towards supporting behaviour change by pledging what it is they want to change.

“Whether we recognise it or not, we can all make positive changes that will make a lasting difference – maybe you’re making them already!

And that’s what changemakers is all about, capturing the small steps we’re making together on our collective journey of change…”

Nice site – and clearly the start of something exciting here, watch this space for more.

Let’s get physical

The Government has published new physical activity guidelines this week informing the great British public what they should be aiming for each day, including under fives, who for the first time find their activity levels in the spotlight.

My experience from researching health and well-being issues within communities is that people don’t know what the recommendations are or even what constitutes ‘physical activity’ – let alone how to achieve these when time and money is often limited. The DH recommends minimum levels of activity by age group with adults expected to fit in a two and a half hours each week of ‘moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity’ – I am sure if stopped in the street, few people could accurately define this, and even worse could be put off doing any physical activity by the sheer fear of such exertion.

As a parent I am am relieved to see the clarification on waiting until your child is able to walk before implementing the guidelines, as I was worried how I will get my nine-month-old to do three hours of activity a day – although I am sure she tops three hours of wrestling at nappy time! But joking aside, many will struggle to see how they can change their behaviour to increase their physical activity in a meaningful way, but with the right nudges, public policies and appropriately targeted and co-created interventions it doesn’t need to be so. Physical activity behaviour change programmes have been a staple in the social marketing toolbox in recent years, with the popularity of Change4Life and a range of local projects – such as ICE Creates/NHS Coventry’s Big Pledge social marketing campaign which have firmly built up an evidence base for such interventions.

These, the DH suggest, should be encouraged across the population, with the latest evidence showing there is a clear link between physical activity and chronic disease. This is great context for those working in public health behaviour change, as guidelines alone do not result in sustained change. Whilst the new guidelines offer more flexibility for achieving the recommended levels of physical activity, creativity and insight-led, evidence-based solutions will need to be developed at both a local and national level to truly inspire people to be more active.

(Thanks for reading my first Behaviourchangereview blog!)