New Annual Report of the Director of Public Health

The Director of Public Health in every local authority in England is required to produce an annual report on the health of their residents.

This report considers those issues affecting Hampshire’s population that result in poor health over time and early, but often avoidable, reliance on healthcare and social care services. Often, a few minor lifestyle changes would mean that people could spend a far greater proportion of their life as years of healthy life, avoiding the need to access health and social care.

Let’s Make Smoking History

Since the link between smoking and ill health, especially lung cancer, was established 70 years ago, a steady change to reduce tobacco consumption has brought smoking rates into decline and significantly improved health outcomes for our Hampshire population.

This year’s annual report highlights the ongoing priority of addressing smoking and the importance of preventing smoking initiation to create a smoke-free generation, noting that cigarettes are the only legal product that kills two-thirds of its users.

Smoking is still the single most preventable cause of ill health, early deaths and health inequalities in Hampshire today. The huge harms caused by smoking continue to place a significant burden on the NHS, social care and on the local economy.

Great strides have been made to recognise smoking as an addiction, bringing about a powerful narrative shift from shaming individuals to supporting them to quit, thereby safeguarding them against tobacco-related harms, which in turn paves the way for healthier communities.

With ongoing public health advocacy and policy, we strive to make smoking history and build a smokefree future for Hampshire.

Annual Report of the Director of Public Health 2024 to 2025

Let’s not wait! Enabling Hampshire’s children to be a healthy weight

Childhood obesity is one of the most significant health challenges of the 21st century. Across Hampshire more children become overweight or obese between starting and leaving primary school. This matters because childhood obesity has an impact on the wellbeing, physical and mental health of the child, as well as an effect on the child’s family and wider community. It also contributes to adult obesity and the health conditions associated with it.

The concerns highlighted in this year’s report are not about how people look but about the impact on health of being overweight. The good news is that childhood obesity is reversible through collective action. This report brings together key information to enable Hampshire’s children to attain a healthy weight.

By responding decisively to the public health challenge facing us, we have an opportunity to improve the health of this and the next generation, reducing the risk of serious health conditions and increasing the number of years that our children will live in good health as they become adults. In so doing, we will also protect our valued health and public services, and reduce the cost to wider society.

Annual Report of the Director of Public Health 2023 to 2024

A Golden Age: Ageing well in Hampshire

This year’s report reflects on ageing and how our lives and lifestyle choices can have a positive impact on how we age.

We are all getting older and it starts the moment we are born; there are important steps we can take through our lives to help us to benefit from better mental wellbeing and physical health as we age and move into our older retirement years.

In recent years the whole country has experienced significant challenges including in Hampshire. The report explores how the pandemic has impacted all of us, our families, friends and communities, either directly on our health or indirectly through policies which changed how we worked, socialised and moved. This report considers these challenging times but also celebrates some of the work which helped us to stay connected and well.

Annual Report of the Director of Public Health

COVID-19: addressing inequalities in mental health and wellbeing across Hampshire

COVID-19 has shone a necessary spotlight on mental health and wellbeing across the country. The impact on inequalities and mental wellbeing for different age groups is explored throughout this report. This includes innovations which seek to improve mental and emotional wellbeing and access to mental health services, the role of prevention and the wider determinants of health that can promote mental and emotional wellbeing. This report highlights the significant amount of work underway across Hampshire to improve mental health and wellbeing and includes recommendations for further action.

Annual Report of the Director of Public Health

Tackling environmental factors is vital to addressing obesity in Hampshire

Tackling environmental factors is vital to addressing obesity in Hampshire

By shifting our focus to addressing environmental and societal factors we will be able to have a greater impact on the levels of excess weight in Hampshire than if we solely consider individual behaviours.

Many people already know what they should be doing to achieve a healthy weight but it can be a real struggle to put this into practice. This is primarily because we are living in an environment that encourages us to eat too many calories whilst remaining physically inactive.

This report highlights the significant amount of work across Hampshire to increase the proportion of people with a healthy weight. However, there is more we can do to facilitate healthy behaviour through changes to our environment.

Reducing Serious Violence

Reducing Serious Violence – Annual Report of Director of Public Health 2018-19

Despite Hampshire being a relatively safe place to live, the numbers of violent incidents are increasing. Every incident has a devastating impact on the individuals involved, their families and communities. A public health approach to reducing violence helps us to explore what we know about violence locally, identify where we can intervene to prevent it, and to develop and scale up these interventions.

This report highlights the significant amount of work going on across Hampshire to reduce serious violence and includes recommendations for further action.

Shaping Place to improve health outcomes

Shaping Place to improve health outcomes – Annual Report of Director of Public Health 2017-18

This year’s report considers wider aspects of place that support a healthy living environment across the life course of people in Hampshire.  It identifies ways to improve access to natural spaces, promote active lifestyles and enhance our food environment.

Using the latest data to explore the issues in Hampshire, the report considers what more can be done to shape places to improve health outcomes.

Previous Annual Reports of Director of Public Health
Joint Strategic Needs Assessments

More information on the health needs of Hampshire’s population can be found in Hampshire’s Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA)