Public sector provision of health services has traditionally been driven from a treatment-based approach - tackling the manifestations of illnesses as they are presented to GPs and public health services.

The increase in the proportion of older people as a percentage of the population, longevity of life and overall growth in gross population has led to a growing demand and need for health treatment. This is increasing the budget demand on clinical services beyond that which is sustainable in the longer term.

Healthy living initiatives aim to address this problem and focus instead on providing solutions that encourage people to adopt healthier lifestyles with a view to preventing avoidable illnesses, such as heart disease, diabetes and depression before they manifest themselves.

Preventive health can be described as the actions taken to help people avoid developing illnesses or to prevent them from worsening. For example, cancer prevention includes avoiding risk factors (such as smoking, obesity, lack of exercise) and increasing protective factors (such as getting regular physical activity, staying at a healthy weight, and having a healthy diet).

The purpose of the HLA is to co-ordinate and provide leadership for organisations providing preventive health and lifestyle solutions in the voluntary and community sector. It also provides a national voice and drives forward knowledge of preventive healthcare with a view to providing high standards and consistent messages to the public.