Everyone has a role in building a health creating society

The World Health Organization in Europe has said that modern societies actively market unhealthy lifestyles.1 What if they actively marketed healthy lifestyles instead? How could we begin to build a health creating society, with all sectors working towards a healthy and resilient population?1 2

In November I introduced a debate in the House of Lords on this topic, in an attempt to start to build the political will needed for change. Much of what we talked about was not new, although recent advances in our understanding of social determinants of health, better evidence of what works and of the potential role of technology, and a greater willingness to learn from other countries are all very important. Timing, however, is crucial, and I think the time has come to really make a difference. A profound shift in thinking is under way, globally influenced by people such as Michael Marmot in the United Kingdom and Amartya Sen, Ilona Kickbusch, Julio Frenk, Maureen Bisognano, K Srinath Reddy, and Francis Omaswa around the world.