What are the Building Blocks of Health?

Everything in our lives affects our health and how long we live. This includes our jobs, where we live, access to public transport and healthy food. And whether we face poverty, loneliness, or discrimination. These are called the Building Blocks of Health, also known as the wider determinants of health.

In the UK, not everyone has the same chances to live a healthy life, which can shorten lives. Good-quality homes, education, jobs, and safe places to play and exercise all influence how long we live.

Often, health discussions focus on individual behaviours like diet and exercise, ignoring these important factors. This means the root causes of poor health are not addressed, and health outcomes do not improve.

When people understand how these building blocks affect health, they are more likely to do something to help fix these problems. This helps everyone live longer, healthier, and happier lives.

Good health allows us to live rewarding lives and reach our potential. Building a healthy society is like constructing a strong building; we need all the right building blocks in place.

In many communities, these building blocks are missing or falling apart. For example, not having enough money to heat our homes or buy healthy food can cause chronic stress and poor health, shortening lives.

The Health Foundation has created toolkits to explain the Building Blocks of Health and tell a more powerful story about health. These toolkits try to increase understanding of the role that wider determinants play in our health and support actions to address them.