What do ethics have to do with lifestyle change?

Abstract

The discussions around health and health care suggest that many of the diseases prevalent in our society today are a direct result of lifestyle choices made by citizens. As these discussions continue, there is mounting evidence relating personal habits and lifestyle to major causes of mortality and morbidity. This evidence, coupled with the technological advances in health care and the resource allocation issues around health care delivery, is leading to a plethora of ethical concerns, questions and challenges. There has been little movement in society to begin to address these issues, although there is growing recognition that to solve these dilemmas a collaborative partnership of providers and consumers is required. In this paper, selected ethical issues associated with lifestyle and behaviour change are explored, with emphasis on the dilemmas that may occur as a result of differences in values. Various conceptual approaches to the issue of 'voluntariness' and several models for examining whether or not health risks are voluntary will be reviewed briefly. The use of interdisciplinary ethical decision making, and ongoing consumer and health care provider collaboration and dialogue, are emphasized as a means of beginning to solve these dilemmas.