Band 6+: It is more important to spend public money promoting a healthy lifestyle in order to prevent illness than to spend it on the treatment of people who are already ill. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Some think the government should spend their money by promoting a healthy lifestyle to avoid illnesses, whilst others think that they should spend money on treatment for the people who are already ill. In this essay, I will talk about how I think that the government should spend money for people who are already ill because I believe that people could have made mistakes that could of led them to how they are.

Many people could have made negative lifestyle choices that led them into in an unhealthy state; some could have been forced into this lifestyle by their family, others could have felt insecure about themselves. There are countless possibilities that could have effected their health that can be mentioned. For example, Many students get anxiety before important events, such as exams. Recent studies have shown that one of the most common ways students deal with anxiety is to isolate themselves from the people around them, they refuse go outside due to the fear of being judged, and are also constantly thinking the negative outcomes which leads to a downwards spiral of mental illnesses. Thus, there is an enormous amount of people who have slowly been engulfed into this unhealthy lifestyle that was out of their control, which is why I think it is just as important for the government to help those that were already affected by past events, instead of those who are already healthy, and are just being warned to take care of themselves.

While I don’t think the government should completely neglect spending their money to promote a healthy lifestyle, I think It targets a much more niche audience. There are still many benefits in doing this, for example, it can set a warning for people, it can also give a reality check and so on. This is very important as it can set examples for students dealing with anxiety or other illnesses and can give warnings before they go too deep into the rabbit hole. Scientific data shows that, 5% of teenagers between ages 13-19, live in isolated, unhealthy lifestyles. If the government spends money on promoting to avoid illnesses, it can also encourage the parents and or guardians to speak with their children about their health and avoid living in an unhealthy manner.

In conclusion, while I think it is better for the government to focus on helping people with illnesses already, I also think it is extremely important for them to promote a healthy lifestyle so many can avoid going through the troubles of illnesses during their lives.