Health and Education, Sources of Information

The Institute of Public Health in Ireland (IPH) has produced a series of reviews which look at the health impacts of identified subject areas. Four reviews have been produced in the areas of employment, transport, the built environment and education. All reviews may be found at http://www.publichealth.ie/ireland/hiaresources. This resource supplements the ‘Health Impacts of Eduvation’ report. It highlights a number of organisations whose work considers issues relevant to the relationship between health and education.

Community Education Needs to be Supported by Strong Public Policy to Tackle Food Poverty

Community education needs to be supported by strong public policy if it is to be fully effective at tackling food poverty and obesity, a project evaluation by the Institute of Public Health in Ireland (IPH) has found. In its evaluation of Decent Food for All (DFfA) - a major project to improve community diet and health - IPH found that where people live and shop had a greater impact on their diet than their own individual awareness and attitudes. Access Tackling Food Poverty: lessons from the Decent Food for All intervention at www.publichealth.ie DFfA was funded by safefood (the Food Safety Promotion Board) and the Food Standards Agency Northern Ireland. The project lasted four years and included hundreds of community education activities designed to improve diet in poorer parts of Armagh and South Tyrone. safefood commissioned IPH to undertake the evaluation of DFfA. Dr. Kevin Balanda, IPH Associate Director, said 'The aim of the project was to reduce food poverty (this is defined as not being able to consume adequate healthy food) and improve health in the target communities. DFfA delivered over 370 core activities to 3,100 residents including local education talks on diet, cookery workshops, fresh fruit in schools, healthy food tastings and information stands. One in eight residents in the target areas participated in at least one of these activities.' The evaluation found that over 1 in 5 adults in the target areas reported they had cut their weekly food spending in the last six months to pay other household bills such as rent, electricity and gas. During the four years of the DFfA activities, this percentage had not changed significantly. There were mixed changes in the nature of food in local stores. While the overall availability and price of food increased, both ﾓhealthierﾔ food and ﾓunhealthierﾔ food were included in that increase. It was only in the larger ﾓmultiple/discount freezerﾔ type of shops that the overall price of food had decreased.

IPH response to Department of Education (NI) draft Early Years Strategy

Tackling inequalities in social, cognitive and personal development in the early years is recognised as a priority action to reduce health inequalities. IPH welcomed the development of a strategic approach to the early years in Northern Ireland and drew evidence from the recent Health Impacts of Education – a review (IPH, 2008) in response to the Department of Education (NI) Early Years (0-6) Strategy

Patient Education/Self Management Programmes for People with Long Term Conditions

Regional Summary Report 2012/13

Primary Dental Care Strategy Consultation Document December 2005 (PDF 223 KB)

Primary Dental Care Strategy Consultation Document December 2005

Dental Branch Annual Report 2004/2005 (PDF 629 KB)

The second Annual Report of Dental Branch

Dental Branch Annual Report 2003/2004 (PDF 269 KB)

The second Annual Report of Dental Branch

Dental Review August 2003 (PDF 344 KB)

Workforce Planning Review August 2003

Oral Health Strategy - General Dental Services (PDF 397KB)

Equality Impact Assessments

Review of the Dental Workforce (PDF 545 KB)

Final Report July 2002

Oral Health Strategy - General Dental Services (PDF 121 KB)

Equality Impact Assessments