§ Dr. TongeTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what progress has been made in encouraging health professionals to provide dietary and lifestyle advice on lowering blood cholesterol; [128540]
(2) what resources have been devoted to increasing public awareness of the health impact of raised blood cholesterol; and what plans he has for future programmes. [128541]
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonA number of lifestyle factors are known to be associated with raised blood cholesterol level, an important risk factor for heart disease, including diet (particularly a high intake of saturated fat), overweight and obesity and low levels of physical activity.
Improving diet, increasing physical activity levels and preventing and managing of obesity are at the heart of many of the Government's priority areas, as set out in the NHS Plan, Cross-Cutting Review on health inequalities, national service frameworks and the Priorities and Planning Framework.
377WThe Priorities and Planning Framework for 2003–06 includes targets for reducing coronary heart disease (CHD). One of these targets requires practice-based registers (for patients with CHD and diabetes) and systematic treatment regimes, including appropriate advice on diet, physical activity and smoking. This also covers the majority of patients at high risk of CHD, particularly those with hypertension, diabetes and a body mass index greater than 30.
The quality and outcomes framework within the new general medical services contract, being introduced from 1 April 2004, will reward general practitioners who monitor, and can demonstrate control of, the cholesterol level of patients suffering from chronic heart disease.
Two new initiatives will be key in fostering healthier lifestyles. The Department of Health is leading on the development of a cross-government Food and Health Action Plan. The plan will pull together all the issues that influence what we eat and will address food production, manufacture and preparation, access to healthier food choices and providing information for consumers about healthy eating and nutrition. This is complemented by wide ranging action on physical activity, which will be progressed by a cross-government Activity Co-ordination Team, jointly led by the Department and the Department of Culture, Media and Sport.
The Department of Health has a range of actions already in place aimed at improving diet and increasing physical activity levels. These include: action to increase breastfeeding; reform of the Welfare Food Scheme; the Five a day programme, including the National School Fruit Scheme in England, to increase fruit and vegetable intakes; a wide range of programmes in schools; joint Department and Food Standards Agency (FSA) work with industry to address the sugar, fat and salt content of the diet; and Local Exercise Acton Pilots. The FSA also has an important role in improving our diets, as outlined in their Nutrition Action Plan. They provide advice on what constitutes a healthy diet and also address food labelling and claims.