The Vital 5 initiative advocates for people, communities and organisations to improve five factors that have a major impact on health at an individual and population level.

  1. Blood pressure;
  2. Obesity;
  3. Mental health;
  4. Smoking status;
  5. Alcohol intake.

Reducing obesity and harmful drinking, stopping smoking, controlling blood pressure, and identifying and improving poor mental health will help prevent ill health, promote good health, and improve detection, management and treatment of existing conditions.

Why the Vital 5

The development of diseases and long-term conditions can be a consequence of a small number of behaviours and conditions.

People with poor mental health often also have physical health problems and many people with chronically poor physical health also have mental health conditions. Few diseases can be properly managed without consideration of both mind and body. 

Long-term conditions and diseases that are associated with the Vital 5 include: 

  • Blood pressure – hypertension; 
  • Mental health – anxiety and depression; 
  • Obesity – diabetes, heart disease and cancer; 
  • Smoking – heart disease, respiratory disease and cancer; 
  • Alcohol – liver disease, mental health conditions and cancer. 

Evidence

In 2017, The Lancet published one of the most comprehensive assessments of global population health ever undertaken called The Global Burden of Disease. The report reinforced the evidence that diseases and conditions such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease are the leading cause of illness, disability and early death in England. 

Recording, sharing and acting on the Vital 5 data will improve people's health and make the health and care system more sustainable. 

Vision 

Our vision is for organisations and communities to support people to know about and improve their Vital 5. We are taking a population health approach to support: 

  • Children: Ensuring all children get the best start to life possible and intervening before health is damaged by life circumstances.
  • Working-age adults: Monitoring during the years when the majority of people have limited interactions with the health service and early indicators of ill-health can be missed;
  • Older adults: Reducing the risks around frailty and ensuring people stay independent and in their own homes for as long as possible; 
  • People with a learning disability: Developing a Vital 5 for people with a learning disability who face significant health inequalities.