Ultimately, environmental health is about changing behaviour. And maybe it is time that the public health profession became more sophisticated in the way this is achieved.

Historically, applying the criminal law or trying to educate people were seen as the best ways to achieve change. Over the last decade a "third way" has been emerging, social marketing. Rather than dictating the way information is presented to those they want to influence, public health professionals have been learning to listen to the needs and desires of target groups. Through in-depth research and constant re-evaluation it is possible to understand behaviour and so be better equipped to influence how people behave.

This is not rocket science. Business has been successfully applying these ideas for decades to influence our behaviour and buy products that we didn't even know we needed. The public health community is now realising that the same marketing principles could be used to "sell" ideas, attitudes and behaviour. This is starting to be applied in the field of health and safety, environmental protection, food safety, nutrition and housing. In our cover story on page 8, we learn that social marketing is being usefully applied around the world to change behaviour towards skin cancer.

This is an area where EHPs working in the public sector would do well to learn from their private sector colleagues. Traditional marketing theory states there are four drivers to changing consumer behaviour - product, price, place and promotion, all equally important. Applying social marketing theory to skin cancer, the product is changing behaviour, the price is not having a tan, the place is where behaviour needs to be changed, the beach or tanning salons and promotion is about creating sustained demand for the product, through sun safe campaigns, or media advocacy.

By using this model it quickly becomes clear that the price, not having a tan is seen as too high. This, at heart, is the battle that cancer awareness campaigns are struggling to win. The cosmetic and travel industries are too powerful and most of us are too enthralled by the idea of being tanned because we feel better looking, sexier and, ironically, healthier. In marketing terms this is the competition and as global warming gets ever-more intense this relationship has to be broken down if we are to seriously reduce rising skin cancer rates, especially among the young.

This month EHJ also looks at two other emerging environmental health issues. The number of people suffering food allergies are on the increase. Some estimate that in 10 years' time up to 40 per cent of the population are predicted to be food intolerant or food allergic. Our story on page 12 looks at what role EHPs have in helping sufferers avoid potential attacks. And we revisit the issue of antisocial behaviour orders. In the legal section an EHO gives advice about bringing an Asbo on conviction, while on page 16 we unravel a bizarre Asbo feud that caught the attention of the national media.