Professor Richard Ashcroft responds to comments made by health secretary Andrew Lansley, who says the general public should be more responsible for their general health.
He says: "Politicians who advocate patients taking greater control of their own healthcare fail to understand what really motivates people. It's all very noble, but recent behavioural science research challenges the idea that people are rational decision-makers where their personal health is concerned. People are not always in full control of their behaviour." Read the full article on the BBC news website.