Baby lifecheck--is it a public health initiative?

As part of its policy to reduce health equalities and make child health a priority, the Government has introduced a free, nationally-available online NHS health promotion tool called Baby LifeCheck. Targeted at parents and carers of babies aged 5-8 months, it provides information and advice to help parents make positive changes to improve their child's long-term health outcomes. Research had suggested that parents of babies aged 5-8 months often felt isolated and had questions or worries about their child's development and about feeding, sleep and safety. Users follow a programme consisting of.a confidential lifestyle questionnaire, feedback on the results and suggestions for change and improvement, with links to sources of support and further information. The numbers of people using the Baby LifeCheck website has exceeded targets, but feedback from Netmums, a large online support network for parents, is that their members find the website simplistic, patronising and unnecessary.This article suggests that while Baby LifeCheck is in some respects a usable tool in the context of health promotion, it falls short of being a public health initiative. It is only likely to be used by those who are computer-literate and already motivated to invest in their child's health and well-being. Public health initiatives require collaborative working between agencies. They also require practitioners as well as tools. If one is available without the other, outcomes are likely to be inadequate.