‘Give Up Loving Pop': reimagining oral health promotion through sport, social practice, and prevention

Oral diseases such as dental caries remain a significant and inequitable public health challenge among children in England, particularly in socioeconomically deprived communities. Despite their preventable nature, oral health conditions have long been overlooked in national child health strategies and siloed from broader non-communicable disease prevention agendas. This paper presents Give Up Loving Pop (GULP), a pragmatic, school-based oral health intervention delivered in partnership with professional sports clubs and their community organisations. Framed through the lens of health practice theory, GULP moves beyond individualistic models of health education by embedding healthier hydration habits within children's everyday routines, supported by trusted figures such as community sports coaches. Evaluation data from recent local authority delivery projects indicate meaningful shifts in children's drink preferences, particularly in favour of water. This paper situates GULP within the wider context of commercial determinants of health and argues for a more integrated, socially attuned model of oral health promotion; one that aligns with upstream prevention, addresses structural inequalities, and leverages the cultural influence of sport to foster long-term change.