Adjusting the 5C pentagon for better health policymaking: observing the leading behavioural risks factors (diet, smoking, and alcohol consumption)

Abstract

Smoking, alcohol consumption, and dietary risks pertain to the goods that can destabilisethe market should their production trigger too many negative externalities and not enough researchto counterbalance them. Moreover, all three are among the factors that, connected to ever-presentrisky behaviours, drive the most death and disability combined (the other two risk factors being themetabolic ones and the environmental/occupational risks). Therefore, they are to be considered as relevant to both the perceived health of the population and analysed in relation to the data onsmokers, alcohol consumers, and poor diet impact.However, the design of these health policies must be adapted to the pattern of national culture of Romania, increasing the degree of their acceptance by the population. This is particularly true whenless-damage alternatives are present in the market. Policymakers should incentivize their use overmore-damaging products. In fact, the existence of better alternatives deepens the market failure thata sub-optimal allocation of resources produces when consumers opt for more damaging productsover better goods. Clearly, the objective of policymakers ought to be to differentiate based on therisk profile of the products present on the market.