Commercial determinants of health
Supporting local public health teams to harness the positive and tackle the negative commercial determinants of health.
Nearly two thirds of all global deaths are linked to just four products: tobacco, ultra processed foods, alcohol, and fossil fuels. This growing burden highlights the role everyday environments and harmful commercial products play in shaping people’s health. Directors of Public Health are working at the forefront of this challenge and increasingly need guidance to engage local businesses and partners in ways that support healthier communities.
Collective action on harmful commercial influences
The project, funded by The Health Foundation, strengthened local action on the commercial determinants of health (CDOH) by helping public health leaders understand and navigate how harmful commercial products and practices shape community health. We’ve supported leaders across the system to develop constructive ways of working with local businesses and partners, while sharing learning on what helps create healthier environments.
Our project advisory group, chaired by Peter Roderick (Director of Public Health for City of York Council), was made up of DsPH from across the four nations and Crown Dependencies as well as representatives from:
The change we’ve inspired so far
Shaping a shared national direction
We built action across the system by bringing leaders together and aligning efforts at a national level. We shared a CDOH position statement, developed by ADPH North East, and product specific positions which are already informing national and local influencing, supporting teams to talk about local challenges and contribute to wider policy discussions. Our tailored communication guidance is further strengthening engagement between public health teams, elected members, and local businesses. This collective direction has supported our engagement with the Chief Medical Officer for England, helping to build broader consensus and extend this agenda beyond the public health system.
Strengthening public health leadership
Through a series of workshops and peer learning sessions, we’ve helped strengthen members’ skills on key topics, including alcohol licensing and the impacts of gambling harm on community health. This included an engaging session on framing, led by Maria Castellina, Director of Impact for FrameWorks UK. By working through scenarios and sharing learning across areas, teams have been equipped with practical approaches and built stronger relationships that are helping embed this work into everyday public health practice.
Supporting practice
Our growing collection of case studies shows how different areas are responding to harmful commercial influences on health, providing examples that others can adapt to their own priorities. These sit alongside our practice sharing sessions and a Good Governance Toolkit, developed by Public Health registrars Anna Brook and Katherine Körner, which offers teams a clear starting point for shaping local approaches to commercial interactions and aligning their work with wider national direction.
Our CDOH resources have been downloaded over 4,000 times. Discover how they can strengthen your work: