Who Is Responsible for Our Health?

An IELTS Writing Podcast on Health · 时长 32:08 · 4,546 words

Hello everyone, and welcome back to the podcast. Today, we’re continuing our IELTS Writing Task 2 podcast series. We’ve talked about education.

We’ve talked about technology. We’ve talked about the environment. And today, we’re going to talk about something much closer to our everyday lives:

health. Now, health is another topic that appears in IELTS again and again. You might get a question about obesity.

You might be asked whether governments should control people’s diets. You might be asked whether individuals are responsible for their own health. You might have to discuss whether governments should spend more money on prevention or treatment.

You might even get a question about exercise, fast food, smoking, healthcare, or people’s lifestyles. And at first glance, these seem like completely different topics. But underneath them, there’s often one central question:

Who is responsible for keeping people healthy? Is it the individual? The family?

Schools? Doctors? Companies?

Or the government? And here’s the interesting thing. I don’t think there’s a simple answer.

So today, let’s talk about health in the same way that we would talk about it with a friend. And while we’re doing that, I’ll point out some expressions that you can take directly into IELTS Writing Task 2.

What does it mean to be healthy?

Let’s start with a very basic question. What does it actually mean to be healthy? Most people would probably say:

“Don’t get sick.” That’s obviously part of it. But health is more than simply the absence of disease.

It can include physical health. Mental well-being. Sleep.

Diet. Exercise. And even social relationships.

In other words, health is influenced by a wide range of factors. And that’s a useful expression: a wide range of factors

You can use it whenever you’re explaining that something has multiple causes. For example: > People’s health is influenced by a wide range of social, economic and environmental factors.

Or: > Academic achievement is influenced by a wide range of factors, including motivation, family background and educational resources. Or:

Consumer behavior is shaped by a wide range of factors. It’s a very useful way to introduce a complex argument.

Health isn’t just about personal choices

Now, here’s something we should probably get out of the way immediately. When we talk about health, it’s very tempting to say: “If people are unhealthy, it’s their own fault.”

They eat too much. They don’t exercise. They smoke.

They drink too much. They don’t sleep enough. So why should anyone else be responsible?

There’s some truth to this argument. Individuals do have a degree of responsibility for their own health. After all, people make choices every day.

They choose what to eat. They decide whether to exercise. They decide whether to smoke.

They decide how much alcohol to consume. They decide how much time to spend sitting in front of a screen. So we can say:

Individuals should take responsibility for their own health. That’s a very useful IELTS expression. We used a similar structure in our environment episode:

take responsibility for something. Individuals should take responsibility for their health. Companies should take responsibility for their environmental impact.

Parents should take responsibility for their children’s education. Governments should take responsibility for providing essential public services. Very flexible.

But how free are our choices?

Now let’s challenge that argument. Imagine two people. The first person lives in a wealthy neighborhood.

There are supermarkets nearby. There are parks. There are gyms.

There are safe streets where they can walk. They have enough money to buy fresh food. They have a stable job.

They have time to exercise. Now imagine another person. They work twelve hours a day.

They have very little money. They live in a neighborhood without parks. The cheapest food available is highly processed.

They don’t have access to a gym. They come home exhausted. Now tell me:

Do these two people have the same opportunity to make healthy choices? Probably not. And this brings us to a very important idea:

health is influenced by socioeconomic factors. You don’t necessarily need to use the word “socioeconomic” in IELTS. You can simply say:

People’s health can be strongly influenced by their income, working conditions and living environment. That’s clear. And notice the phrase:

living environment Another useful chunk. A person’s living environment can affect their health.

A child’s learning environment can affect their academic performance. A person’s work environment can affect their productivity.

Healthy choices aren’t always easy choices

Let’s think about food. Imagine you’re extremely busy. You have been working or studying all day.

You arrive home at eight o’clock. You’re exhausted. You have two options.

You can spend forty minutes preparing a healthy meal. Or you can order a hamburger and fries and have dinner in twenty minutes. Which one is easier?

Probably the second. And that’s why simply telling people: “Eat healthy food!”

isn’t always enough. We need to consider the availability and affordability of healthy food. Those are two useful words.

availability means whether something is easy to obtain. affordability means whether people can reasonably afford it. So you might say:

The availability and affordability of healthy food can influence people’s dietary choices. That’s a strong IELTS sentence.

Why do people eat unhealthy food?

Let’s think about this more deeply. Why do people eat fast food? Is it simply because they don’t care about their health?

Not necessarily. Fast food is often: cheap,

convenient, quick, easy to find,

and heavily advertised. That’s important. Because now we can see that individual behavior is influenced by the environment around us.

And this leads to a useful expression: be influenced by For example:

People’s eating habits are influenced by their income, lifestyle and the availability of different types of food. Or: > Children’s behavior can be strongly influenced by advertising.

Or: > Consumer choices are influenced by price and convenience. Again, we’re building a network of language rather than memorizing isolated words.

Convenience has a price

Here’s something interesting. Modern life has become incredibly convenient. You can order food without cooking.

You can shop without leaving home. You can work without commuting. You can communicate without meeting people.

And convenience is great. But sometimes, convenience has a hidden cost. When everything becomes easier, we may become less physically active.

We walk less. We cook less. We spend more time sitting.

We rely more on cars. So technological and economic development can sometimes contribute to sedentary lifestyles. That’s a useful term.

A sedentary lifestyle is one in which people spend a lot of time sitting or being physically inactive. You could say: > The widespread use of technology has contributed to increasingly sedentary lifestyles.

That’s a very IELTS-friendly sentence. And you can connect it to another issue: > Sedentary lifestyles can increase the risk of obesity and other health problems.

Notice the phrase: increase the risk of Extremely useful.

Smoking increases the risk of cancer. Lack of exercise can increase the risk of obesity. Air pollution may increase the risk of respiratory disease.

Poor sleep can increase the risk of various health problems. It’s much better than constantly saying: “can cause.”

Obesity

Now let’s talk about obesity. Obesity is a major public health concern in many countries. And again, it would be easy to say:

“People are obese because they eat too much.” But the causes are more complicated. Diet.

Exercise. Income. Advertising.

Urban design. Work patterns. Stress.

Sleep. Family habits. All of these can play a role.

So we can say: > Obesity is a complex problem with a wide range of social, economic and behavioral causes. That’s a useful sentence.

And notice the expression: a complex problem This is important because you don’t always need a complicated word.

Sometimes simply calling something “a complex problem” helps you introduce a nuanced argument.

Should governments regulate unhealthy food?

Now we’re getting into a classic IELTS debate. Should governments regulate unhealthy food? For example, should they tax sugary drinks?

Should they restrict advertising aimed at children? Should they require food companies to display nutritional information? Should they ban certain ingredients?

There are arguments on both sides. One argument is that governments have a responsibility to protect public health. If unhealthy products contribute to serious health problems, perhaps regulation is justified.

You could say: > Governments have a responsibility to protect public health by regulating products that pose significant health risks. That’s a very useful structure:

protect public health You’ll see this phrase frequently in discussions about smoking, food, vaccination, pollution and healthcare.

But what about personal freedom?

Now imagine the government says: “You cannot buy this food.” “You cannot drink this.”

“You cannot advertise this.” Some people would argue: “Wait a minute. I’m an adult. I should be allowed to make my own choices.”

And that’s a legitimate argument. Governments need to balance public health with individual freedom. There’s our familiar structure again:

strike a balance between A and B So: > Governments need to strike a balance between protecting public health and respecting individual freedom.

That’s a sentence you could adapt to many different topics. Technology: > Governments need to strike a balance between innovation and regulation.

Environment: > Governments need to strike a balance between economic growth and environmental protection. Health:

Governments need to strike a balance between public health and individual freedom. This is why flexible sentence patterns are so valuable.

Taxes as a way of changing behavior

Let’s return to sugary drinks. Suppose the government puts a higher tax on drinks containing large amounts of sugar. What’s the purpose?

Not necessarily to punish people. The goal may be to discourage excessive consumption. That’s a useful phrase.

discourage excessive consumption You can use it for: sugar,

alcohol, energy, plastic,

fuel, or even consumer goods. For example:

Higher taxes on sugary drinks could discourage excessive consumption. But there’s another possibility. The government could use the money collected from these taxes to fund healthcare programs.

So the tax might have two effects: It discourages unhealthy behavior. And it generates revenue.

That’s a more developed argument.

But will taxes really change behavior?

Maybe. But not necessarily for everyone. If a wealthy person pays an extra dollar for a sugary drink, they might not care.

But for a low-income family, even a small price increase could matter. So again, we have to think about unintended consequences. This is an excellent phrase for IELTS.

An unintended consequence is a result that wasn’t originally planned. For example: > Health-related taxes may have unintended consequences for low-income households.

You can use the phrase far beyond health. Environmental regulations may have unintended consequences for businesses. Technology policies may have unintended consequences for workers.

Educational reforms may have unintended consequences for students. It’s a very useful phrase.

Health inequality

And this brings us to another major issue: health inequality. Do all people have equal access to healthcare?

Not necessarily. Some people can afford private hospitals. They can see specialists quickly.

They can pay for expensive treatments. Other people may struggle to afford basic medical care. So income can affect health outcomes.

And here’s another useful phrase: health outcomes This refers broadly to the results or conditions of people’s health.

You could say: > Socioeconomic conditions can have a significant impact on health outcomes. That’s a strong academic sentence.

And another: > Governments should take steps to reduce health inequalities between different social groups. Notice:

take steps to do something This is one of the safest and most useful IELTS expressions you can learn. Governments should take steps to reduce pollution.

Governments should take steps to improve public transportation. Governments should take steps to address unemployment. Governments should take steps to reduce health inequalities.

It’s extremely flexible.

Healthcare: treatment or prevention?

Now let’s talk about something very important. Suppose a government has a limited healthcare budget. It can spend more money on hospitals and medical treatment.

Or it can spend more money on preventing diseases in the first place. Which is better? Well, treatment is obviously essential.

If someone is seriously ill, they need medical care. But prevention can sometimes be more cost-effective in the long run. This gives us a very useful phrase:

preventive healthcare Preventive healthcare focuses on preventing illness rather than simply treating it after it occurs. For example:

health screenings, vaccination programs, health education,

encouraging exercise, reducing smoking, and promoting healthy diets.

You could say: > Governments should place greater emphasis on preventive healthcare rather than relying solely on medical treatment. And notice:

rather than relying solely on That’s a very useful academic structure.

Prevention is better than treatment?

You’ve probably heard the phrase: “Prevention is better than cure.” It’s a common saying.

And there’s some truth to it. If we can prevent a disease from occurring, we may save: money,

time, suffering, and pressure on hospitals.

So: > Preventive healthcare can reduce the long-term burden on healthcare systems. There is another useful word:

burden. We’ve already used it for future generations. It works beautifully in healthcare too.

We can talk about: the burden on hospitals the burden on healthcare systems

the financial burden on families For example: > An ageing population may place a significant burden on healthcare systems.

Very useful.

But prevention isn’t always simple

Now, let’s be careful. You can’t prevent every disease. Genetics matter.

Age matters. Environmental factors matter. Some illnesses are unavoidable.

So we shouldn’t imply that people can completely control their health through lifestyle choices. That’s why academic writing benefits from words like: may

can tend to is likely to

Rather than making absolute statements. Instead of: > Exercise prevents disease.

Say: > Regular exercise can reduce the risk of certain diseases. That’s more accurate.

And it sounds more academic.

Exercise

Let’s talk about exercise. Most people know exercise is good for them. But why?

It can help people maintain a healthy weight. It can improve cardiovascular health. It can reduce stress.

It can improve sleep. It can contribute to mental well-being. So you could say:

Regular physical activity can improve both physical and mental well-being. That’s a very useful sentence. And here’s another expression:

contribute to overall well-being For example: > Regular exercise and adequate sleep can contribute to overall well-being.

Notice how broad “well-being” is. It doesn’t only mean physical health. It can include emotional and mental health too.

Why don’t people exercise enough?

Again, let’s not just say: “People are lazy.” Maybe some are.

But there are other explanations. People work long hours. They commute.

They spend time looking after children. They have stressful jobs. They live in cities designed around cars.

They don’t have access to safe public spaces. So perhaps the problem is partly structural. This is why urban planning can matter.

Cities can encourage physical activity by providing: parks, walking paths,

cycling infrastructure, and accessible public transportation. And now we have a nice connection between health and the environment.

Better public transportation can reduce pollution. Walking and cycling can improve health. Green spaces can improve people’s well-being.

So one policy can potentially produce multiple benefits. That’s another useful phrase: multiple benefits

For example: > Investment in public transportation can provide multiple benefits, including reduced pollution, lower traffic congestion and improved public health. That’s a strong Task 2 sentence.

Health and the workplace

Now let’s think about work. Modern workers can spend eight or ten hours sitting at a desk. Some people work even longer.

And work-related stress can also affect health. So employers have some responsibility too. They can provide healthier working conditions.

They can encourage employees to take breaks. They can offer flexible working arrangements. They can provide access to mental health support.

And they can create a workplace culture that doesn’t glorify overwork. This leads to another useful phrase: working conditions

You can say: > Poor working conditions can have a negative impact on employees’ physical and mental health. That’s extremely useful.

And you can also say: > Employers should take steps to improve working conditions. Simple.

Clear. Effective.

Mental health

And now we have to talk about mental health. For a long time, health discussions focused mainly on physical illness. But mental health has become increasingly important.

Stress. Anxiety. Depression.

Burnout. Social isolation. These can all affect people’s quality of life.

And modern lifestyles can sometimes make these problems worse. People may work long hours. They may constantly check their phones.

They may compare themselves with others on social media. They may have fewer opportunities for face-to-face interaction. So technology and health overlap again.

You could say: > Excessive use of social media may contribute to stress, anxiety and social comparison. But we should be careful.

Technology isn’t automatically the cause. It may be one factor among many. So:

Social media may be one of several factors contributing to poor mental well-being. That’s a much more defensible claim.

The importance of sleep

Let’s talk about something extremely basic: sleep. People sometimes treat sleep as optional.

They stay up late studying. They work late. They scroll through their phones.

They watch videos. Then they wake up early. And after doing this for weeks, they wonder why they feel exhausted.

Sleep affects concentration. Mood. Memory.

Physical health. And productivity. So you could say:

Adequate sleep is essential for maintaining both physical and mental well-being. That’s a very useful expression: be essential for

Something can be essential for: health, learning,

productivity, development, or economic growth.

For example: > Adequate sleep is essential for children’s cognitive development. Or:

Reliable public transportation is essential for the functioning of large cities. Very flexible.

Health education

Now let’s come back to education. Should schools teach children about health? I think they should.

Schools already teach mathematics and science. But children also need to understand: nutrition,

exercise, sleep, mental health,

and healthy habits. The idea isn’t to turn children into doctors. It’s to help them develop healthy habits early in life.

And here’s an excellent phrase: develop healthy habits from an early age For example:

Schools can help children develop healthy eating and exercise habits from an early age. That’s a very natural IELTS sentence. And early intervention can be important because habits formed during childhood can continue into adulthood.

You can say: > Healthy habits established during childhood are more likely to continue into adulthood. Notice:

be more likely to Another extremely useful academic structure.

Advertising and children

Now here’s another controversial issue. Should companies be allowed to advertise unhealthy food to children? Children are particularly vulnerable to advertising.

They may not fully understand persuasive marketing. They may see an advertisement and simply think: “That looks delicious!”

And then they ask their parents to buy it. So governments may have a reason to restrict advertising aimed at children. You could say:

Children are particularly vulnerable to persuasive advertising. That’s a very useful sentence. And:

be vulnerable to something means being particularly susceptible to something harmful or influential. Children can be vulnerable to advertising.

Older people can be vulnerable to financial scams. People can be vulnerable to misinformation. Again, one structure with many applications.

But businesses need to make money

Let’s be fair to businesses. Companies exist to make profits. They need customers.

They need to advertise. They need to compete. So governments can’t simply tell businesses:

“Don’t advertise.” Instead, they may need to establish reasonable restrictions, particularly where children are involved. And there is another useful expression:

strike a balance between commercial interests and public health. There it is again. Balance.

Balance. Balance. If you listen carefully to IELTS discussions, you’ll notice that this idea comes up constantly.

Economic growth versus environmental protection. Innovation versus regulation. Individual freedom versus public health.

Commercial interests versus consumer protection. The world is full of competing interests. And IELTS Task 2 often asks you to explain how those interests should be balanced.

Personal responsibility versus government responsibility

So let’s return to our original question. Who is responsible for our health? Individuals?

Yes. Governments? Yes.

Schools? Yes. Employers?

To some extent. Companies? Also, to some extent.

The important thing is that these responsibilities are not mutually exclusive. That’s another useful phrase: not mutually exclusive

It means that two ideas can both be true at the same time. For example: > Individual responsibility and government intervention are not mutually exclusive.

That’s a sophisticated way of saying: “Both can be important.” You can use it in many topics.

Economic growth and environmental protection are not necessarily mutually exclusive. Technology and traditional teaching methods are not mutually exclusive. Academic knowledge and practical skills are not mutually exclusive.

Excellent phrase.

Don’t make health essays too moralistic

There’s another thing I want you to be careful about. When students write about health, they sometimes become very judgmental. For example:

“People who eat junk food are irresponsible.” “People who don’t exercise are lazy.” “Obese people lack self-control.”

Be careful. That’s not the kind of language you want in an academic essay. Instead, discuss factors and behavior.

People may have limited access to healthy food. People may work long hours. People may have limited opportunities for exercise.

People may be influenced by advertising. People may experience stress. That doesn’t mean individuals have no responsibility.

It simply means that human behavior is complicated. And academic writing should reflect that complexity.

A useful cause-and-effect chain

Let’s build a complete argument. Imagine you’re answering this question: > Some people believe that governments should be responsible for people’s health, while others believe that individuals should be responsible. Discuss both views and give your opinion.

Here’s how we might think. Individuals make daily choices. Those choices affect diet, exercise and lifestyle.

Therefore, individuals have some responsibility. However, those choices are influenced by income, working conditions, food availability and advertising. Therefore, individuals don’t have complete control.

Governments can regulate industries. They can improve healthcare. They can provide public spaces.

They can promote health education. Therefore, governments also have an important role. So the conclusion might be:

Both individuals and governments have responsibilities, but they operate at different levels. Individuals control their personal behavior. Governments shape the broader environment in which those choices are made.

That’s a much more interesting argument than: “Both are important.” You’ve explained why.

And that’s what you should aim for in IELTS

Remember this. The examiner isn’t impressed simply because you have an opinion. The examiner wants to see that you can develop that opinion.

Don’t just say: “Governments should promote healthy lifestyles.” Ask:

How? Through education? Taxes?

Advertising restrictions? Public transportation? Urban planning?

Healthcare? Then ask: Why?

Because these policies can make healthy choices easier and more affordable. Then ask: What might be the downside?

Higher taxes may disproportionately affect low-income households. And suddenly you’ve got a complete paragraph. That’s the difference between an idea and an argument.

The vocabulary network

Let’s collect some of the useful expressions from today’s conversation. Health is influenced by: a wide range of factors

Individuals should: take responsibility for their health Governments should:

protect public health Policies can: discourage excessive consumption

and: encourage healthier behavior Poor lifestyles can:

increase the risk of disease Governments can: take steps to improve public health

Healthcare systems may: face a significant burden Preventive healthcare can:

reduce the long-term burden on healthcare systems People’s health can: be influenced by socioeconomic factors

Companies can: be subject to stricter regulations Schools can:

help children develop healthy habits And governments need to: strike a balance between public health and individual freedom

You can already see that we’re not memorizing isolated words. We’re collecting ready-made pieces of language.

The five expressions I’d especially remember

If I had to choose just five expressions from today’s episode, I would choose these. Number one: take responsibility for

Individuals should take responsibility for their own health. Number two: protect public health

Governments have a responsibility to protect public health. Number three: increase the risk of

A sedentary lifestyle can increase the risk of obesity. Number four: take steps to

Governments should take steps to reduce health inequalities. And number five: strike a balance between

Governments need to strike a balance between public health and individual freedom. These five expressions are not particularly difficult. But they’re extremely reusable.

And that’s what I want you to prioritize.

Don’t write “health is important”

Let’s finish with another common IELTS problem. Students often begin a health essay with something like: “Health is very important in our lives.”

Well… Of course it is. But that’s not really saying anything.

Everyone knows health is important. The interesting question is: Why is it important?

Or: What threatens it? Or:

Who should protect it? Or: How can governments improve it?

Instead of saying: “Health is important.” you could say:

Poor health can reduce people’s quality of life and place additional pressure on healthcare systems. Now you’ve actually made a point. Or:

An unhealthy population may reduce economic productivity while increasing the financial burden on public healthcare systems. Now you’re connecting health to economics. That’s much more useful.

Health is not just a medical issue

And that’s probably the biggest idea I want you to take away from today’s episode. Health isn’t just about hospitals. It isn’t just about doctors.

It isn’t just about medicine. Health is connected to: education,

income, employment, urban planning,

food systems, technology, advertising,

government policy, and individual behavior. That’s why health questions are so interesting.

They’re actually questions about society. And once you see that, you’ll never run out of ideas. If the question is about obesity, think about food, advertising, income, lifestyle and urban design.

If it’s about exercise, think about working hours, public spaces, transportation and education. If it’s about healthcare, think about funding, prevention, access and inequality. If it’s about government responsibility, think about regulation, incentives and public services.

The topic may change. But the underlying reasoning patterns remain surprisingly similar.

One final thought

Let’s finish with a simple thought experiment. Imagine two societies. In the first society, people are constantly told:

“Your health is your own responsibility.” But healthy food is expensive. Public transportation is poor.

There are few parks. People work extremely long hours. Hospitals are difficult to access.

Companies can advertise unhealthy products freely. In the second society, the government provides excellent healthcare. There are safe public spaces.

Healthy food is affordable. Schools teach nutrition. But individuals are completely unwilling to take responsibility for their own behavior.

Which society is healthier? Probably neither. And that’s the point.

Health is both a personal and a social responsibility. Individuals make choices. But society shapes the choices available to them.

Governments create policies. Businesses influence the market. Schools shape habits.

And families influence behavior from an early age. So perhaps the most effective approach is not to ask: “Who is responsible?”

but: “How can different parts of society share responsibility?” And that’s the kind of answer that can take you beyond a simple Band 6 argument and towards a much more nuanced Band 7 or 8 discussion.

So next time you see a health question in IELTS, don’t panic. Ask yourself: What causes the problem?

Who is affected? What role does individual behavior play? What role does the government play?

What role do businesses and schools play? What are the possible unintended consequences of a policy? And finally:

How can we improve public health without unnecessarily restricting individual freedom? If you can answer those questions, you already have the foundation for a strong essay. The vocabulary comes afterwards.

The ideas come first. Thanks for listening. And I’ll see you in the next episode.