Low pay, poor working conditions, air pollution and insecure housing all harm people’s mental health, a report has suggested, whereas good jobs, safe and secure homes, and healthy products can all achieve the opposite.

The conclusions highlight how focusing more on improving this type of health inside and outside the workplace could help government meet its economic, health and societal ambitions, the think-tank the Centre for Mental Health has argued.

Government regulation can help businesses to become healthier as part of a wider approach to improving the nation’s health and wellbeing, it has said in its report.

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As well as harming health, factors such as low pay, poor working conditions, air pollution and insecure housing harm put people at greater risk of smoking or of alcohol-related harm, the centre argued.

Harms related to unhealthy food and gambling are also concentrated in areas facing the highest levels of deprivation.

Despite this, it is often argued that harmful consumption is an individual’s responsibility rather than something requiring regulation.

Measures to ensure fair pay and a living wage, to reduce air pollution, and to protect tenants in privately rented housing are just as important in this context as creating a smoke-free future and regulating the advertising of unhealthy foods or gambling, the centre has said.

“Mental ill health costs £300bn a year in England alone. Helping businesses to be mentally healthier could bring some of that cost down as well as creating a healthier society and stronger economy,” said centre chief executive Andy Bell.

“The government has made a positive start by introducing reforms to boost workers’ and renters’ rights and to create a smoke-free future. It could go further with reforms such as minimum unit pricing on alcohol, restricting the promotion of unhealthy products, and introducing a mental health policy test to ensure future decisions are made with the public’s wellbeing in mind,” Bell added.

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