End of week summary

This week we have looked at the factors that influence our behaviours and choices relating to food, including the complex range of structural, environmental, socio-cultural, economic and policy factors which shape our choices. We have also considered the links between excess weight and obesity and other health conditions and have looked at recent national data sets which capture trends in obesity and how prevalence differs by region, socioeconomic status, gender and ethnicity.

We then looked at the evolution of planning in relation to public health, from 19th century efforts to control the spread of disease through environmental alterations, through experimental housing projects in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to the post-World War Two development of a locally-led planning system. Consideration of issues such as access to greenspace, overcrowding, and pollution clearly follows through from these early initiatives into the planning system today.