ADPH Position Statements are formal, evidence‑based policy statements published by the Association of Directors of Public Health (ADPH). They set out the collective views, priorities, and recommendations of Directors of Public Health across the UK on key public health issues.
The commercial determinants of health are the systems, practices, and pathways through which organisations influence our health.
There are many positive commercial determinants of health, for example through the supply of essential goods, providing good working environments, and the development of innovative new products.
However, the activities of some industries, designed to sell products and increase profits, are escalating levels of avoidable ill-health, planetary damage and inequity – just four commercial products – tobacco, alcohol, ultra-processed foods (UPFs), and fossil fuels – are linked to approximately 19 million deaths worldwide each year.
A common ‘playbook’ of tactics, adopted from the tobacco industry, has been identified across a range of different health-harming industries (HHIs).
he ADPH position statement on gambling highlights the significant population‑wide harms caused by gambling and the current environment that continues to drive those harms.
It calls for evidence‑based national and local action to reduce these risks, including stronger regulation and policies that protect public health and limit harmful commercial influence.