Agenda item

To receive a report from the Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Strategic Commissioning and Public Health and the Director of Public Health on recent and current Public Health campaigns and planned future work, on which Members are invited to comment. 

Mr W Gough, Business and Policy Manager, was in attendance for this item.

1.            Mr Gough introduced the report and emphasised the value of campaigns as a key part of the preventative agenda, using a range of media and a flexible approach.  Displayed in the meeting room was a selection of materials from current campaigns, including ‘Change 4 Life’ and ‘Release the Pressure’. These campaigns, targeting various aspects of health and wellbeing, were all part of the overall approach to public health.  Campaign  activity in 2016/17 and 2017/18 so far had been very successful, with the ‘Release the Pressure’ campaign having won an award and attracted the attention of other local authorities, including the City of  London, who viewed it as an example of best practice which they could use and adapt. The County Council worked closely with its health and district council partners to spread its campaigns across the county, using a range of media to reach people in their everyday lives. 

2.            Mr Gough responded to comments and questions from Members, including the following:-

a)    the extent of the work put into campaigns, and the success of them, was praised.  It was a challenge to identify and keep pace with changing patterns of behaviour among age groups and sections of society, for example, consumption of alcohol among teenagers had reduced but other issues such as smoking and obesity had replaced alcohol as a concern among this age group. Accordingly, it was important to address this and establish healthy habits with young people as early as possible, liaising with schools and being frank about the resultant risks in later life. Young people had fed back that they appreciated a frank and clear message. Mr Scott-Clark explained that the school nursing service and the ‘healthy schools’ initiative had recently been re-commissioned and the model for these services was evolving. In addition, PHSE lessons had been reinstated in the school curriculum. However, the biggest risk to young people’s health was unhealthy behaviours learnt from parents, and this could be addressed by the Headstart service; 

b)    asked about how the need for a campaign would be identified, and how its effectiveness would be monitored, Mr Gough explained that ‘Release the Pressure’ and ‘Know Your Score’ had emerged from work on the County Council’s Suicide Prevention Strategy and Alcohol Strategy, respectively, the Kent Health and Wellbeing Board Plan had identified the need for interventions on smoking in pregnancy, which had led to the  ‘What the Bump?’ campaign, while ‘One You’ and ‘Change 4 Life’ were national campaigns which had been adapted for use in Kent;

c)    asked how the ‘Change 4 Life’ campaign, which seemed to have lapsed, could be reactivated, Mr Gough explained that work was going on to support children’s centres to promote the Change 4 Life messages in Kent. Mr Scott-Clark added that campaigns would naturally have peaks and troughs of activity as they appeared as fresh new campaigns and then became more familiar, and keeping up interest levels over a longer period of time was a challenge.  Taking advantage of key days and events in the year, for example National No Smoking Day and Stoptober, gave an opportunity to remind people of a campaign;   

d)    the ‘House’ project which ran 8 – 9 years ago across Kent had been effective in relating to young people and could be resurrected.  The County Council could attract marketing and public relations companies to help with rejuvenating the project, perhaps by running a competition.  A similar project was still running on the Isle of Sheppey and was much used by young people, as was a similar project in Sevenoaks;

e)    the value of PHSE lessons in tackling health and lifestyle issues with young people was supported.  Research by behavioural scientists and psychologists had shown the value of establishing and reinforcing good habits early in life. Members could be given a briefing on this subject at a future meeting;

f)     the upbeat, positive tone of the report was welcomed, and the development of further campaigns supported. However, surely it was important to emphasise that the long-term use of e.cigarettes was just as addictive as the use of traditional tobacco products.  Mr Scott-Clark clarified that, although e.cigarettes contained no cancerous chemicals or carcinogens, the public health message was that their use should be short-term only, as part of the process of quitting smoking altogether. E.cigarettes had been shown to be a better aid to quitting than prescribed nicotine-reduction therapy, and vaping shops operated within an ethical code of practice, refusing to sell nicotine-containing products to anyone not already a smoker. Smoking had historically had a huge impact on the NHS but had seen a large reduction recently as a result of the popularity of e.cigarettes; and

g)    much use was made of social media to reach young people, and the campaigns website had recorded 100,000 visits during 2016. Usage figures included the time of day at which the site had been accessed, allowing campaigners to build up a detailed picture of patterns of use.

3.            RESOLVED that the progress and impact of the public health campaigns in 2016/17 be noted and welcomed and the key developments planned for 2017/18 be endorsed.