If someone asked me to write some 21st century public health rules, I wonder what I’d include? I think it depends what “rules” means – if compulsory, they’d be rather different from my public health “recommendations”.

I’m a strong believer in giving people informed choice, even when their choices result in outcomes which are detrimental to their health. After all, even as someone working in the field, it’s not like I prioritise my health over other concerns in every decision I make.

That said, there are a lot of rules and regulations which form an important part of public health, attempting to force people to stop putting others’ health at risk – health and safety regulations, speed limits, laws around the supply of wholesome mains water.

And then there are area which are contentious, where people’s actions do impact on others health in an avoidable way, but where our society nonetheless prioritises free choice over our collective health: driving highly polluting vehicles in built up areas, burning fossil fuels in residential areas, and irresponsibly marketing products likely to be harmful to health. It’s here where interesting conversations lie.