This is according to Cary Cooper (pictured), professor of organisational psychology and health at Lancaster University, and Stephen Bevan, MD of The Work Foundation.
The announcement came in response to the House of Lords science and technology committee report, Behaviour Change published yesterday, which criticised the Department of Health's attempts to "nudge" the population into changing its lifestyle and behaviour to improve health, claiming there needed to be more tangible measures.
Cooper said: "The theory of 'nudge' is popular because people resent being lectured about their health and their lifestyle choices. It also helps the government avoid charges of 'nannying'. However, the evidence from this report and from other research is that gentle persuasion will not be enough to make even a small dent in the rising burden of avoidable chronic disease which the UK faces."
The House of Lords report argues that a mix of measures will be needed to encourage citizens to change their behaviours in a rage of settings.
Committee Chair, Baroness Neuberger, said: "There are all manner of things that the government wants us to do - lose weight, give up smoking, use the car less, give blood - but how can they get us to do them? It won't be easy and this inquiry has shown that it certainly won't be achieved through using 'nudges', or any other sort of intervention, in isolation."
Bevan, added: "We know from our own research on workforce health that many people are motivated to improve their health so they can stay productive and enjoy their work. For these, support and 'nudging' may be enough. However, we also know that by 2050 diabetes is set to increase by almost 200%, much of this obesity-related. Light-touch persuasion without the back-up of regulation or even financial incentives is unlikely to make much difference."
And Cooper concluded: "This report demonstrates that medical science doesn't have all of the answers. If we want to combine medical science with an understanding of human behaviour and how to change it the UK needs a Chief Social Scientist as well as a Chief Medical Officer to guide both research and advice to policy-makers.
