Health In Ireland: Key Trends 2010

This edition of Health in Ireland: Key Trends provides an overview of significant trends in health and the health services during the past decade. The aim is to reflect the main areas of health and health care and to highlight selected topics of growing concern and/or where new data has become available. Click here to download 2.03MB PDF

Health In Ireland: Key Trends 2011

The purpose of Health in Ireland, Key Trends 2011, as with previous editions, is to provide summary data on the main areas of health and health care over the past decade. It also aims to highlight selected trends and topics of growing concern and to include new data where it becomes available. A further objective is to assess ourselves and our progress in the broader EU context. With these goals in mind, the booklet is divided into six chapters ranging from population, life expectancy and health status through to health care delivery, staffing and costs. Click here to download PDF 2.26MB

Health In Ireland: Key Trends 2012

Health in Ireland, Key Trends 2012 provides summary statistics on health and health care over the past decade. It also aims to highlight selected trends and topics of growing concern and to include new data where it becomes available.   Click here to download PDF 2.7mb

Health In Ireland: Key Trends 2013

Health in Ireland, Key Trends 2013 provides summary statistics on health and health care over the past ten years. It also highlights selected trends and topics of growing concern and includes new data which has become available during the course of the year. An important objective is to assess ourselves and our progress in the broader EU context. The booklet is divided into six chapters ranging across population, life expectancy and health status through to health care delivery, staffing and costs. Overall, the picture which emerges is of continuing progress, but at a reduced rate, set in a context of very ignificant financial constraints. Rapid ageing of the population in conjunction with lifestyle-related health threats present major challenges now and for the future in sustaining and further improving health and health services in Ireland Click here to download PDF 3.2MB

A Grounded Theory Model of the Counselling Referral Process in Primary Care Methadone Treatment in Ireland.

In terms of the treatment of illicit drug abuse, methadone maintenance is a well researched and widely applied systematic response. The approach to primary care methadone treatment in Ireland is based on the methadone protocol. Primary care plays a central role in the delivery of methadone treatment. Beginning with a view that a system evolves within the constraints and influencing factors of its context, the aim of this thesis is to model the process that has developed by which patients on primary care methadone treatment are referred to counselling. It investigates the role primary care practitioners perceive they have in relation to managing the psychosocial aspects of the methadone patient's treatment regime. It analyzes individual medical practitioner counselling referral mechanisms to determine what common processes operate across different practitioners. It identifies the factors that influence the use of counselling on primary care methadone programmes and structures these in a cause/effect model. This research used interviews and documentary analysis to acquire grounded data. The sample consisted primarily of medical practitioners involved in the delivery of methadone programmes. Others closely involved in the implementation of drug treatment in the primary care context made up the balance of interviewees. The study used a grounded theory methodology to induce the process that was latent in the grounded data. Concepts emerging were grouped under the headings of referral factors, decision making factors and factors related to the unique positioning of primary care at the interface between medicine and society. The core finding was that, in primary care in Ireland, there is no psychological model to complement the pharmacological intervention of methadone substitution. The findings from this study offer insight into the factors at work and their impacts, in the context of the use of counselling in primary care methadone treatment. The study suggests a possible direction for further evolution of opiate abuse treatment in Ireland which would transform it from a harm reduction to a holistic patient centric paradigm.This resource was contributed by The National Documentation Centre on Drug Use.

CARDI Research Brief: Future demand for long-term care in Ireland

With the population across the island of Ireland growing older, the issue of how to provide and pay for care in the home and in residential settings is becoming more urgent. It is important that a strategy for providing long-term care for an ageing population is put in place, and understanding what the demand for care will be is a major part of this. As a result, CARDI funded a research project led by Professor Charles Normand at Trinity College Dublin which aimed to develop a predictive model of future long-term care demand in NI and ROI.This research brief contains information collated by CARDI and a summary of the findings in the full report, Towards the Development of a Predictive Model of Long-Term Care Demand for Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland (Wren et al., 2012).

A Picture of Ageing Research in Ireland, North and South

This publication provides a snapshot of the ageing research landscape across the island of Ireland.�� By 2030 one in five people on the island of Ireland will be 65 years or older. As the population ages research into ageing and older people is vital to help plan for healthier and more active later lives for everyone. Academic institutions across the island are engaged in a wide range of research programmes and projects relating to ageing. ��Ageing is increasingly viewed as a research priority for these institutions and the island of Ireland is gaining recognition as a place of excellence for ageing research. This publication provides an overview of research relating to ageing being carried out in their various third level institutions in Ireland, North and South. ��It combined these profiles with information about a selection of major collaborative research projects and CARDI’s research funding activities to produce an update of a previous directory published in 2010. A Picture of Ageing Research 2014 illustrates the continued growth and quality of research being carried out in a wide range of disciplines by a growing community of researcher in Ireland, North and South. CARDI Director Dr Roger O’Sullivan says, “We are delighted to present this publication which captures the innovative and high quality nature of ageing research being carried out by researchers in Ireland, North and South. ��Ageing research is vital to providing a valuable evidence base for building a better future for our ageing populations”.

ICT Action Plan Meeting the high-level skills needs of enterprise in Ireland

The technology sector in Ireland is thriving. Employment, through indigenous and multinational technology firms continues to grow strongly year on year. All of the top 10 multinational technology companies have a significant presence in Ireland and the indigenous software sector’s exports are worth well in excess of €1 billion annually. Five of the top 10 exporters in Ireland are technology companies, and the sector is responsible for approximately one-third of Ireland’s total turnover. Since January 2011, over 80 jobs a week have been announced in the sector. This is on foot of 6% employment growth in 2009 and 4% in 2010. A recent global competitiveness report ranks Ireland as the top destination in the world by quality and value of investments. With a growing multinational technology presence in Ireland and a vibrant and innovative indigenous software sector, the future prospects for Ireland’s technology sector are bright.

OECD Thematic Review of Early Childhood Education and Care Policy in Ireland

Ireland is one of the smallest countries in Europe and occupies the most westerly, peripheral position. Geographically, the entire island is comprised of 32 counties, 26 of which make up the Republic of Ireland, (commonly referred to as the South), and 6 of which go to make up Northern Ireland (usually called the North), which forms part of the United Kingdom. This report is concerned with the Republic of Ireland only, which will be referred to as Ireland in the remainder of this report for ease of reading.

Brain Health and Dementia Prevention in Ireland - a discussion paper

Joint discussion paper funded by the Alzheimer Society of Ireland and authored by the Institute of Public Health Approximately 47,849 people were living with dementia in Ireland in 2011. This number is expected to double by 2031 to about 90,000 as incident rates of dementia are set to rise with population ageing (Pierce et. al. 2014). Although much remains to be established at a causal level, epidemiological research indicates that there is scope for reducing dementia prevalence and age-specific incidence through addressing modifiable risk factors. There is a growing consensus for the mobilisation of public health approaches to attempt to reduce the prevalence of dementia through primary prevention. This discussion paper presents a rapid review of evidence on the primary prevention of dementia and presents estimates for the number of dementia cases that could potentially be preventable through modifying specific risk factors in Ireland. The paper focuses only on primary prevention which relates to delaying or preventing the onset of dementia. Specifically, the discussion paper presents: a rapid review of the current evidence-base on dementia prevention internationally estimates of the number of dementia cases that might be prevented by addressing modifiable risk factors considerations for integrating a brain health and dementia prevention perspective into public health research, policy and practice in Ireland.

Evaluation of the uptake of voluntary calorie posting on menus in Ireland

This report was commissioned by the Department of Health, Ireland. Obesity is a public health problem in Ireland which is largely responsible for the increasing prevalence of diet-related diseases and growing financial burden on our healthcare system. Although overweight and obesity rates may have reached a plateau in Irish adults and children, they remain at an extremely high level as 1 in 4 children areoverweight or obese and an estimated 61% of adults are overweight or obese. Urgent public health action is required to reduce the levels of obesity among our children and adults. A sustainable national intervention strategy that combines government and community-led interventions is required. These interventions need to incorporate both nutrition education and environmental modification strategies to reduce levels of obesity. International literature suggests that calorie posting has the potential to have a positive effect on the obesity crisis by encouraging people to make healthier food choices through informed consumer decisions. This evaluation focuses on the uptake of voluntary calorie posting from a national representative sample of food service businesses in Ireland and explores the attitudes of food service businesses that do and do not display calories. This evaluation will explore the most effective and efficient way of implementing mandatory calorie posting on menus in Ireland.

Energy drinks in Ireland - a review

Energy drinks have risen in popularity in recent years and are now sold in over 165 countries worldwide. On the island of Ireland, energy drinks advertising accounted for 20% of the total soft drinks market advertising in 2014. In the United States, sales increased by 60% between 2008 and 2012, and in 2006, a staggering 500 new brands of energy drinks were released worldwide. In the UK, the energy drinks market is worth £491 million and is growing by 7% year on year. This report has found an eightfold increase in the number of energy drinks available in 2015 compared to 2002. While no standard definition of an energy drink is used in the scientific literature, it is commonly understood to be a non-alcoholic drink that contains caffeine (usually its main ingredient), taurine, vitamins and sometimes a combination of other ingredients (such as guarana and ginseng, among others), and it is marketed for its perceived or actual benefits as a stimulant, for improving performance and for increasing energy. As this report will highlight, there is some confusion amongst the public as to what the term "energy drink" means, as some soft and sports drinks, while containing little or no caffeine, use the term ‘energy’ in the product label, for example, Lucozade. Both the scientific community and the public have raised health concerns about the caffeine and calorie intakes associated with energy drinks and the use of these drinks as a mixer with alcohol. These concerns are disputed by the energy drinks industry.

Pilot HIA of European Employment Strategy in Ireland

This pilot Health Impact Assessment (HIA) exercise was conducted as part of the ‘Policy Health Impact Assessment for the European Union’, commissioned by the European Commission ’s Directorate Generale Health and Consumer Protection (DG Sanco). The project is coordinated by Liverpool University and the research partners are from Ireland, Germany and the Netherlands. The aim of the European project is to develop a HIA methodology for assessing the health impacts of EU policies and activities. The purpose of the pilot HIA in Ireland was to test the methodology produced in the first phase of the project in 2002. The policy chosen for assessment was the European Employment Strategy. The Irish pilot used a range of methods suggested in the draft methodology but concentrated particularly on the participatory aspects of HIA. A key stakeholder group with knowledge of employment (including decision makers in labour market policy) was established to provide expert advice and support. Other methods used included policy analysis, information gathering from key informants, community profiling (including demographic and labour force data), data analysis, literature review, the production of a report and the development of recommendations.

Review of Health Impact Assessment for the Institute of Public Health in Ireland

IPH commissioned a review of HIA work in 2009 to detail progress and achievements of HIA from 2001. This included an assessment of current levels of HIA awareness and activity and suggestions for the direction of future work.

Facing the challenge: The impact of the recession and unemployment on men's health in Ireland

The economic recession with its accompanying rise in unemployment rates is linked to extremely adverse effects for men’s mental health. This research report Facing the Challenge – The Impact of the Recession and Unemployment on Men’s Health in Ireland identifies a strong expectation of increased mental health problems for men given the very strong correlation between unemployment and male mental ill health. The report is the result of a research and consultation process carried out, in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, by Nexus Research Co-operative on behalf of IPH. 93% of frontline organisations, North and South, in contact with unemployed men linked health challenges to unemployment and recession and all organisations surveyed noted adverse health challenges for men they work with. In addition to health challenges being higher for unemployed men, they were also very high for men who saw themselves as being threatened with unemployment. The organisations surveyed and the men who were interviewed identified the challenges to health as:•    High levels of stress or anxiety•    Dependency on or over-use of alcohol/other drugs•    Deterioration in physical health•    Development of conflict in family or close personal relationships•    Isolation (including sharing or communicating problems)•    A reluctance to approach services or seek help