You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Discuss both views and give your opinion.
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Write at least 250 words.
Sample Answer 1:
Whether a healthy lifestyle should be a personal choice or should be ensured by the government is a debated issue. According to some, a healthy lifestyle is a preference and this is determined by individuals while others believe that the government of a country should take care of the healthcare facilities of all citizens. Personally, I believe that a healthy lifestyle is a choice that should be made by each individual while the government of a country should guarantee proper treatment and healthy lifestyle facilities.
On one hand, if an individual has the determination of leading a healthy life, he would need very little help from the state. A healthy lifestyle is a habit and this is a choice made by an individual. The government can make sure better healthcare, exercise and entertainment facilities throughout the country but if someone does not have the habit of leading a healthy life, the government has nothing to do about it. Interestingly, this is a choice we can make regardless of our social and economic status. For instance, a man with a lot of money might live an unhealthy lifestyle while someone with very little earning can decide to live a good and healthy lifestyle. Thus a healthy lifestyle is a choice that should be decided by individuals rather than the government of a country. It is evident that the family can contribute a lot to teach a child to choose a good and healthy lifestyle.
On the other hand, there is no denying the fact that, a government also has an important role to play to ensure a better lifestyle for its citizens. For instance, in countries where the government fails to ensure proper education, health care facilities, recreation and economic development, people usually lead an unhealthy life there. Some important laws and policies like drug controlling can determine the extent of people’s healthy lifestyle. Thus it is true that government policy and initiatives help citizens to have a better lifestyle.
Considering both viewpoints, I would like to conclude that the healthy lifestyle of citizens in a country is a combination of individual choice and government initiatives and policy. Thus personally I feel that each person should choose a healthy lifestyle while the government of a country should ensure proper facilities to make it easier.
Sample Answer 2:
With various technological advancements, demanding jobs and a busy lifestyle, people, nowadays, tend to invest less time in maintaining a salubrious lifestyle. Albeit a person can bring about many changes in their lifestyle to lead a better and healthy life, the government has an equal role to play in making policies and campaigning to highlight important health issues to bring public’s attention, I believe. In this essay, I will discuss both views.
To commence with, people’s yearning for a better lifestyle is a driving force in self-motivation and encouragement to lead a positive, active and healthy life. To substantiate this, if a person chooses to lead a sedentary lifestyle, it becomes harder for them to stay focused on a healthy track. But, if they adopt a healthful lifestyle, it keeps them determined and dedicated to their fitness goals. Personal choices in lifestyle make a whole lot of difference keeping us healthy regardless of our profession, economic condition and age. For example, people who choose to maintain personal hygiene and a balanced diet are 60% less prone to get ill from common diseases than their counterparts who ignore basic hygienes and have bad diets.
Having said that, the government can bring significant changes by implementing many action plans and promoting awareness campaigns in terms of health and lifestyle. Local authorities may encourage many people to take up outdoor activities and sports by establishing and maintaining health and sports centres in the community. Through awareness programs about salutary food and diet, they can change a great proportion of the community. Furthermore, lifestyle-related health campaigns should be promoted to shift people’s interest in considering healthy lifestyle options. Schools in Japan, for instance, are funded by food and health authorities to encourage their pupils to participate in various physical activities such as sports and gymnastics. They have also included the benefits of a healthy lifestyle and diet in their syllabus which have brought positive results in the last two decades.
To conclude, both the government and people should play an effective role in choosing, implementing and encouraging many healthier options to bring about a major improvement in our lifestyle.
[Written by – Puninder Kaur]