Band 5+: Research shows that some activities are good for health and others are bad. Despite knowing that, millions of people engage in unhealthy activities What is the cause of this? What can be done?

There is a cautious topic on even though people are informed about the difference between healthy and unhealthy pursuits, they prioritize the latter over the former. Whilst the main causes behind this tendency are the lack of self-discipline and social influence, there are myriad solutions to mitigate this problem, such as raising public awareness and motivating people to follow a healthy lifestyle.

One of the causes of non-compliance is the scarcity of self-discipline, which stems from personal traits of individuals. Activities, such as smoking and doing drugs which could result in serious repercussions in human health, may be challenging to avoid as it takes a sizeable amount of time, effort, and passion. Another main cause of the problem is the influence of society, tempting people to do something that will harm them. Should people be surrounded by companions and family who engage in unhealthy habits, they would join them ultimately, instead of resisting.

One of the ways offered to tackle this issue could be public awareness arisen by authorities in order to draw the attention of people to the ways to provide their life expectancy. It is proven that, more than a half of people are unaware of the effects of unhealthy habits that can pave way for incurable diseases, such as blood cancer or dementia. Should governments give health education to citizens, people will be considerate about their actions and they will pursue what they have learnt to the posterity. Furthermore, people can be motivated to follow a healthy lifestyle by governments in a way that is applied in Singapore, in which meals rich in nutrients are labelled to convey the feeling of self-satisfaction when they purchase these products. It is undeniable that people feel content when they are encouraged to pay attention to healthy attitudes.

To conclude, having discussed both the causes and viable solution to combat the problem of the inclination to unhealthy habits, I am of the opinion that whereas personal characteristics are the main cause, several solutions could be offered by the authorities to encourage people to live their lives to the full.