The proportion of the population living unhealthy lifestyles continues to drive an increase in long-term conditions such as diabetes and obesity, with associated healthcare costs rising as a result.

Proposed workforce impact

• There is a possible increased public health role for SLTs.
• SLT services do not directly deal with diabetes and obesity, so may be at risk of cuts as resources could be focussed on addressing this need.

Sources or references

• http://www.kingsfund.org.uk/publications/clustering-unhealthy-behaviours-over-time
• http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12421391

Additional research questions

• Which conditions and lifestyle changes particularly affect SLTs?
• Can SLTs play a public health role in helping improve lifestyle choices?

Some of the information in this section is provided by stakeholders and expert groups, and does not necessarily represent the views of the CfWI.