Preliminary estimates and forecasts of the population prevalence of self reported of hypertension, of ischaemic heart disease and stroke in the Republic of Ireland from 2005 - 2015

Ireland and Northern Ireland’s Population Health Observatory (INIsPHO) recently published estimates of the population prevalence of diabetes in 2005 and forecasts to 2010 and 2015 for the island of Ireland, at the national and sub-national levels. These estimates are based the PBS Model developed by York and Humber Public Health Observatory (YHPHO), Brent NHS Trust and the School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR).The Department of Health and Children (DoHC) has requested additional estimates and forecasts for hypertension.This paper outlines the results from preliminary work from the initial steps towards a more systematic approach to monitoring the prevalence of other chronic diseases on the island.

Get up and Go

Aims and objectives of intervention: - Stabilising of BMI or a 3% reduction in BMI at each follow up - Reduction in waist circumference - Reduction in overall weight - Improvement in 'nutrition score' and adverse behaviour change index based on self reported confidence and food frequency questionnai

A Survey of Employees Attitudes Towards Drug Testing in the Workplace

In light of the recent publication of the safety, Health & Welfare at Work Bill 2004, which is set to target the construction industry in particular, the number of Irish employers implementing drug testing programmes in the workplace is set to increase. Little is known, however, about attitudes of Irish workers towards various aspects of drug testing. In order to address this matter, the author presents the findings of a cross-sectional survey of 148 construction trade apprentices in relation to their attitudes towards aspects of workplace drug testing. The extent to which their attitudes varied according to their levels of illegal drug use and alcohol use was also investigated. The results indicate that under some circumstances, testing is approved of. However, attitudes towards most aspects of drug testing are characterised by extreme variability. For example, nearly items were rejected by some respondents and accepted by others. It can be concluded that even if an employer designed a drug testing programme based on elements viewed more favourably, a substantial proportion of employees would still be likely to hold negative views towards some aspects of the programme. Furthermore, self-reported frequency of alcohol and drug use, particularly cannabis use, was associated to more negative reactions towards drug testing. Implications for implementing drug testing programmes in the workplace are discussed. The results of this study are intended to give employers an increased understanding of workers' attitudes towards drug testing programmes and to aid the development of effective substance-abuse prevention services.This resource was contributed by The National Documentation Centre on Drug Use.

Health at a glance: Europe 2012.

This second edition of Health at a Glance: Europe presents a set of key indicators of health and health systems in 35 European countries, including the 27 European Union member states, 5 candidate countries and 3 EFTA countries. The selection of indicators is based largely on the European Community Health Indicators (ECHI) shortlist, a list of indicators that has been developed by the European Commission to guide the development and reporting of health statistics. It is complemented by additional indicators on health expenditure and quality of care, building on the OECD expertise in these areas. Contents: Introduction 12 Chapter 1. Health status 15 1.1. Life expectancy and healthy life expectancy at birth 1.2. Life expectancy and healthy life expectancy at age 65 1.3. Mortality from all causes 1.4. Mortality from heart disease and stroke 1.5. Mortality from cancer 1.6. Mortality from transport accidents 1.7. Suicide 1.8. Infant mortality 1.9. Infant health: Low birth weight 1.10. Self-reported health and disability 1.11. Incidence of selected communicable diseases 1.12. HIV/AIDS 1.13. Cancer incidence 1.14. Diabetes prevalence and incidence 1.15. Dementia prevalence 1.16. Asthma and COPD prevalence Chapter 2. Determinants of health 49 2.1. Smoking and alcohol consumption among children 2.2. Overweight and obesity among children 2.3. Fruit and vegetable consumption among children 2.4. Physical activity among children 2.5. Smoking among adults 2.6. Alcohol consumption among adults 2.7. Overweight and obesity among adults 2.8. Fruit and vegetable consumption among adults Chapter 3. Health care resources and activities 67 3.1. Medical doctors 3.2. Consultations with doctors 3.3. Nurses 3.4. Medical technologies: CT scanners and MRI units 3.5. Hospital beds 3.6. Hospital discharges 3.7. Average length of stay in hospitals 3.8. Cardiac procedures (coronary angioplasty) 3.9. Cataract surgeries 3.10. Hip and knee replacement 3.11. Pharmaceutical consumption 3.12. Unmet health care needs Chapter 4. Quality of care 93 Care for chronic conditions 4.1. Avoidable admissions: Respiratory diseases 4.2. Avoidable admissions: Uncontrolled diabetes Acute care 4.3. In-hospital mortality following acute myocardial infarction 4.4. In-hospital mortality following stroke Patient safety 4.5. Procedural or postoperative complications 4.6. Obstetric trauma Cancer care 4.7. Screening, survival and mortality for cervical cancer 4.8. Screening, survival and mortality for breast cancer 4.9. Screening, survival and mortality for colorectal cancer Care for communicable diseases 4.10. Childhood vaccination programmes 4.11. Influenza vaccination for older people Chapter 5. Health expenditure and financing 117 5.1. Coverage for health care 5.2. Health expenditure per capita 5.3. Health expenditure in relation to GDP 5.4. Health expenditure by function. 5.5. Pharmaceutical expenditure 5.6. Financing of health care 5.7. Trade in health services Bibliography 133 Annex A. Additional information on demographic and economic context 143 Most European countries have reduced tobacco consumption via public awareness campaigns, advertising bans and increased taxation. The percentage of adults who smoke daily is below 15% in Sweden and Iceland, from over 30% in 1980. At the other end of the scale, over 30% of adults in Greece smoke daily. Smoking rates continue to be high in Bulgaria, Ireland and Latvia (Figure 2.5.1). Alcohol consumption has also fallen in many European countries. Curbs on advertising, sales restrictions and taxation have all proven to be effective measures. Traditional wine-producing countries, such as France, Italy and Spain, have seen consumption per capita fall substantially since 1980. Alcohol consumption per adult rose significantly in a number of countries, including Cyprus, Finland and Ireland (Figure 2.6.1).This resource was contributed by The National Documentation Centre on Drug Use.

Social support group interventions in people with dementia and mild cognitive impairment: a systematic review of the literature

Abstract Despite the large number of studies evaluating social support groups for people with dementia, there are no systematic reviews of current evidence.The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of social support group interventions for people with dementia and mild cognitive impairment.A systematic review was performed. We searched electronic databases for randomised controlled trials. Two reviewers worked independently to select trials, extract data and assess risk of bias. A total of 546 studies were identified of which two met the inclusion criteria. We were not able to pool data for further analyses, as the interventions tested in the studies meeting the inclusion criteria were too dissimilar in content.The first trial (n = 136) showed a benefit of early-stage memory loss social support groups for depression and quality of life in people with dementia.The second trial (n = 33) showed that post-treatment self-reported self-esteem was higher in the group receiving a multicomponent intervention of social support compared with that in the no intervention control group.Limited data from two studies suggest that support groups may be of psychological benefit to people with dementia by reducing depression and improving quality of life and self-esteem.These findings need to be viewed in light of the small number, small sample size and heterogeneous characteristics of current trials, indicating that it is difficult to draw any conclusions. More multicentre randomised controlled trials in social support group interventions for people with dementia are needed.������������