Is a healthy diet enough?

Population ageing is a global phenomenon. While ‘developed’ countries, such as the UK show the most rapidly ageing populations, it is also evident in China and South America (Office of National Statistics (ONS), 2018). Much has been said about the increasing health needs of the UK’s ageing population and the demands that it places upon the NHS. In particular, the cost of healthcare notably increases when people reach 65 years of age, due, in part, to hospital admissions (ONS, 2018). An ageing population is also accompanied by a changing population structure (due to an increase in life expectancy, decrease in fertility and a delay in childrearing), which has implications for the economy, services and society (ONS, 2018).

The challenge of global ageing was recognised by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2016. It created the Global Strategy and Action Plan on Ageing and Health 2016—2020 (World Health Assembly, 2016), which focused on healthy ageing, alongside the preparation for the ‘Decade of Healthy Ageing 2021—2030’ (WHO, 2020) that aims to optimise older people’s functional ability over the decade. The plan has four areas of action to promote health, prevent disease and maintain capacities, namely: changing attitudes to age and ageing; fostering the abilities of older people; the provision of responsive person-centred primary health services and integrated care; and the creation of access to long-term care for those who need it. Therefore, the varying health needs of people as they age are recognised, but more importantly, so are the imperatives of promoting health and preventing disease by offering choices and influencing behaviours to maximise health gain.