A large proportion of death and ill health in the UK is strongly linked to lifestyle factors and thought to be preventable through changes in behaviour, such as giving up smoking, exercising more, and adopting healthier eating habits.

21st century medicine
As the complex interplay of factors influencing health and disease are revealed, new approaches to the improvement of health will be needed. A major challenge for 21st century medicine will be a shift of emphasis from purely medical intervention to public health promotion targeting behaviour, lifestyle, poverty and education. For instance, the health risks arising from obesity and smoking, with their associated costs to the NHS, are well recognised, but changing people’s behaviour to overcome these problems and other medical consequences of lifestyle has proved challenging.

Changing ourselves
By bringing together public health, social, and behavioural scientists, we expect not only to understand the social and psychological factors that influence risk and lifestyle decisions, but also the ways in which these might be influenced. The MRC’s investments in epidemiology will be a key part of this. So too will collaboration with the Economic and Social Research Council under the Spending Review 2004 Changing Ourselves proposal.