A five-minute lifestyle quiz launched by the NHS has been derided by voters – after it promised to ‘boost your mood’ days before Rachel Reeves’ misery-inducing budget.
The Government-backed questionnaire is designed to give Brits a straightforward appraisal of their overall lifestyle, rating them out of 10 for how well they eat and how often they smoke, drink and exercise.
Launched with a chummy video featuring radio and TV presenters Melvin Odoom and Rickie Haywood-Williams, the Department for Health and Social Care has billed the quiz as helping to ‘boost your mood and energy’ with lifestyle advice.
It also rates an individual’s mental health by asking them how often they are in a good mood, and if they ever feel anxious or stressed.
As well as a score out of 10, the quiz gives ratings such as ‘great job’ or ‘try to improve’ for each aspect of an individual’s lifestyle.
It makes recommendations such as buying cheaper tinned vegetables over fresh produce, and guides quizzers towards NHS apps to help them cut down on their drinking or smoking habits.
But the timing of the quiz has come under scrutiny, particularly in asking how worried Brits are just a day before the Chancellor’s next Budget, which is expected to wreak havoc on businesses, savings and property tax.
And some have questioned the usefulness of an arbitrary score out of 10 to sum up an individual’s overall wellbeing.
A new quiz launched by the Government to help people make healthy lifestyle choices has been given a dismal reception by voters – after it was released just days before the Budget
Rachel Reeves is expected to impose new taxes on high-value properties and freeze income thresholds again (pictured in 2024)
The NHS-branded quiz asks questions on lifestyle pertaining to mental health, food, smoking, alcohol and exercise
Wellbeing coach and psychologist Sarah Gatford said of the quiz: ‘I scored nine out of 10, which sounds brilliant, except my score tells you precisely nothing about my actual well-being.
‘There’s no nuance here, no consideration of circumstances or the messy reality of people’s lives.
‘If you’re genuinely struggling – anxious about money, caring responsibilities, job insecurity – a five-minute quiz and generic NHS links won’t cut through.’
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Ms Gatford added: ‘The timing feels particularly tone deaf: launching a “sort yourself out” quiz whilst the country braces for difficult announcements suggests individual lifestyle tweaks can solve problems that are often systemic.
‘This quiz is the equivalent of someone shouting “just eat better and move more!” across a crowded room and hoping it lands with whoever needs to hear it.’
The Chancellor’s budget is expected to batter ordinary workers and homeowners in the South East – with plans to revalue 2.4million homes and introduce a ‘mansion tax’ targeting the most well-off homeowners.
A long-derided freeze of tax thresholds is also expected to continue – pushing people deeper into the tax system with every pay rise.
Patricia McGirr, who founded the Repossession Rescue Network to help those set to lose their homes, branded the quiz ‘a morale booster from a government that knows tempers are fraying’.
‘A five-minute quiz won’t fix a nation bracing for a grim week. When people are worried about jobs, bills and whether their mortgage will survive the next Budget, being told to log on and rate your feelings is hardly reassuring,’ she said.
‘Nothing lifts the nation’s mood quite like a quiz from the people who caused half the stress in the first place,’ said Sam Kirk, the managing director of J-Flex, which exports rubber products around the world.
‘If they actually delivered the things they’ve been promising for years, we probably wouldn’t need a morale-boosting quiz in the first place.’
The quiz awards a score out of 10 for lifestyle choices, and directs individuals to help with improving their fitness, stopping smoking or cutting down drinking
Its arrival was heralded by a video featuring DJs Rickie Haywood-Williams (left) and Melvin Odoom (right) trying it out for themselves
But Colette Mason, a former IT systems engineer who counted Government agencies among her previous employers, has praised the NHS for offering ‘clear, customised evidence-based advice’ as an alternative to ‘Dr Google’.
‘This approach to healthier choices and better self-management skills, however simplistic now, has to be welcomed,’ she said, in remarks gathered by Newspage.
‘Let’s stop fixing broken people. Help them sooner. Well done NHS.’
The quiz was launched with the help of DJs Rickie Haywood-Williams and Melvin Odoom, who appeared in a buddy-buddy video joking about their love of cakes while watching TV and a job that sees them often trapped at a desk.
Rickie said of the quiz: ‘It’s quick, easy, and gives you a clear picture of where you’re at with your health. It gave me loads of practical tips that I can actually fit into my life.
‘It’s not about being perfect – it’s about taking that first step and understanding how to start making changes that really make a difference.’
Melvin added: ‘It’s helped me figure out realistic changes that really fit my lifestyle, and given me some tools to get started.’
The Department of Health and Social Care told the Mail that the quiz is intended to help guide people towards making better lifestyle choices in order to reduce their risk of falling ill.
A spokesperson said: ‘This quiz provides personalised advice and connects people to a range of free NHS apps and resources that can support them on their journey to better health.
‘It supports our 10 Year Health Plan which is shifting the focus of the NHS from treating sickness to preventing it, giving people access to the digital tools and information they need to live healthier, happier lives.
‘This government has provided record investment to help turn around more than a decade of neglect in our health service which is already paying off, with millions more appointments and waiting lists down by 230,000.’
