Gezondheidsbevordering als splijtzwam?

In the world of Public Health and Health Promotion it is common place to commit oneself to strong measures conveying a sense of urgency about the task ahead. The downside of the ‘5 minutes to 12’ attitude is that it leaves little room for reflection on the unwanted side effect of the advocated measures. In my contribution I argue the need to study these side effects more closely. On the basis of a qualitative study I show that some Public Health measures, like the recent smoking ban in bars and restaurants, instil anti government sentiments among the Dutch. Many see these measures as examples of increasing levels of patronizing. I also argue that health promotion enhances the cleavages between the social classes because the advocated healthy life style is easy to accomplish for the higher classes but difficult to accomplish for others. These healthy living members of the higher classes are not likely to become an accepted role model to the lower strata of society. The only way out would be that members of the lower classes find their own ways of healthy living with role models out of their own ranks.