Government health move in line with SIRC advice
The Social Issues Research Centre has for some time been expressing strong criticism of the patronising, prescriptive and alarmist approach to health promotion adopted by the Health Education Authority. SIRC's research on the side effects of health warnings, the findings of which were widely reported in the media and circulated among health officials, showed that such methods are not only ineffective, but also potentially damaging to public health.
We therefore welcome the Government's decision (reported in the Telegraph, 12 January) to close the HEA and replace it with a new Health Development Agency focusing on more pragmatic and useful objectives, such as reducing health inequalities and tackling major diseases.
