What the US can learn from Canada about how to treat moms

I can’t imagine motherhood without Canada’s generous paid maternity leave. It’s time for America to get with the program

Britain needs to get fit. But warnings and advice alone aren’t enough

It’s taken an integrated strategy to reduce smoking. We need a similar policy to change the way we look at fitness, says public health academic Mike Kelly

Scottish government plans restrictions on sugary and fatty foods

Ministers’ plans to tackle obesity in some cases go further than health ministers in England

Supermarkets targeted in the battle against obesity

Checkout offer bans and TV advertising watershed are key steps to tackle health crisis

Is it time to legalise medical cannabis in the UK?

The case of 12-year-old Billy Caldwell has given fresh impetus to the debate on medicinal marijuana, but reforming the law is difficult in an industry plagued by non-scientific methods

Back pain: how to live with one of the world’s biggest health problems

The most common cause of disability is a condition as old as time itself. But is the industry that has built up around scans, injections and opioids a waste of time?

We need reform of the NHS to avoid a decade of misery

MPs from different parties urge cross-party approach to solve underfunding of healthcare

Introduce mental health checks for new mothers, ministers told

Six-week checkup would help the 50% of UK mothers with mental health problems

Love Island and other shows ‘encourage teenagers to smoke’

Reality TV series and major films expose young people to tobacco imagery, MPs told

The NHS is underfunded. Even a former Tory health secretary sees it

The health service is in crisis – as Andrew Lansley’s comments on the screening that could have caught his cancer make plain, says Guardian columnist Gaby Hinsliff