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.

Voluntary Organisations Represented on the Northern Ireland Cancer Forum (PDF 141 KB)

Mission statement: åÊ To save lives of those at risk of developing cancer and enhance the quality of life of those living with cancer in Northern Ireland. åÊ Services include: - Women’s early detection service åÊ – mammography, cervical screening and breast awareness (including a mobile clinic) åÊ - Awareness campaigns on breast, cervical, prostate and testicular cancer åÊ - Counselling and complementary therapy for cancer patients and their families åÊ - Health promotion in schools, workplaces and communities åÊ - Funding for cancer research and the Regional Cancer Genetics Servic åÊ

TIC, Patrimonio y Aprendizaje

Dos recursos virtuals elaborats pel grup ÒLIBA de la Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, Portal de la Vall de Boí (http://oliba.uoc.edu/boi/portal) i Memòries de la nostra infantesa: els nens de la guerra (http://oliba.uoc.edu/nens), ens han permès dur a terme un projecte innovador de difusió i interpretació del patrimoni per mitjà de les TIC. Aquests dos recursos virtuals tracten sobre el nostre patrimoni, en el primer cas sobre patrimoni natural i cultural i en el segon cas sobre patrimoni històric, i les seves pàgines web tenen un nivell excel·lent quant a forma i contingut, de manera que han representat un material òptim per a difondre el nostre patrimoni en els centres escolars.

Portglenone Enterprise Group (PEG)

PEG and the pharmacist have been working through BCPP projects for a few years and have worked with a range of groups (young and older people) on a range of health issues. This project seeks to continue to build on this work. The lay health worker will be present in the pharmacy and more emphasis will be placed on co-delivery with young people and in schools. Relationships with young vulnerable and isolated teenagers are developing and the pharmacist will continue to engage with them to identify and work to tackle health issues they are facing.

School food: the essential guide

School food: the essential guide contains a series of eight practical guidance booklets designed to help schools improve pupils' nutrition and implement healthier eating and drinking practices. The booklets provide advice and support for the key areas in which food, drinks and nutrition issues affects schools. Mini case studies support the advice given and, where appropriate, the booklets provide details of recommended further resources. Individual booklets in the series are available as PDF files below: The essential guide Establishing a school food policy Healthier breakfast clubs Healthier breaks Healthier vending Water provision Improving the dining experience in schools Healthier lunch boxes Useful contacts School food: the essential guide is also available in Irish, on request.

Healthy breaks: tasty tips for the under fives

Today the Public Health Agency is launching a new resource pack designed to assist nursery schools and playgroups deliver a healthy breaks scheme.All nursery schools and playgroups in Northern Ireland will receive the pack - 'Healthy breaks for pre-school children' - which includes a poster and information leaflets for parents explaining why a healthy break is so important for pre-school children and some tips and ideas for healthy nutritious breaks.Judith Hanvey, Regional Food in Schools Co-ordinator, appointed jointly by the PHA and the Department of Education, said: "Break-time snacking schemes currently operate in many pre-school settings across Northern Ireland, however they are implemented in different ways. The PHA has developed this new guidance so that any existing or future schemes have the information that they need to deliver a healthy break programme."Judith explained why a healthy break is so important for pre-school pupils."Young children have small stomachs but high requirements for energy (calories) and nutrients. This means that healthy snacks between meals are very important to make sure that they get all the nourishment they need."Childhood is also an important time to establish good eating and drinking habits for later life."Healthy eating schemes give children the knowledge and opportunity to make healthier choices."The Department of Education and Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety recently launched 'Healthy Food for Healthy Outcomes: Food in Schools Policy', which builds on the nutritional standards which were introduced in 2007 by the Department of Education.The policy encourages a 'whole school approach' to all food and drink provided and consumed in schools. This ensures that children have the opportunity to benefit from a healthy balanced diet, which can aid learning, leading to improved educational outcomes. It also requires that every school should have their own whole-school food policy in place by September 2014. Nursery schools that receive funding from the Department of Education must follow this policy.This is also in line with the position taken by the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety's 10 year obesity prevention strategy, A Fitter Future for All, which aims to take a consistent approach to healthy food within early years settings.

A Study on Health Behaviours and Young People

Numerous reports have documented the health status of young people, concluding that the main threats to their health are predominantly the health risk behaviours and choices they make. Focussing on four of these, alcohol consumption, tobacco smoking, illicit drug use and sexual activity, this study seeks to assess their levels among a group of young people in Galway City with the aim of helping with the development of Health Education in these areas. In order to develop appropriate interventions, it is first of all necessary that accurate information on the extent of the problem, if any, be available. In 1989, studies on risk taking were carried out in the Muirhouse and Easterhouse areas of Glasgow and Edinburgh in Scotland. These areas were seen as underprivileged and had high and low rates of HIV infection respectively. In 1993, a similar study was carried out in the Westside area of Galway, an area which is also seen as under-privileged with high rates of unemployment. In 1996, a follow-up to the 1993 survey was carried out. This study also attempted to determine if there was a relationship between the behaviours reported and socio-economic class. This study is a follow-up to the previous two, with the addition that it attempts to investigate whether any relationship exists between the provision of health education in schools and subsequent health behaviour patternsThis resource was contributed by The National Documentation Centre on Drug Use.

Cloughmills Incredible Edibles Project

Cloughmills Incredible Edibles Project aims to reconnect people with each other, their community and the natural world by developing a sustainable, fair and healthy food system in Cloughmills. They aim to teach people where food comes from, appreciate seasonal diversity and environmental impacts of food, be confident in cooking and celebrate the role of food in our lives. They will improve diet related health, reduce impacts of food poverty, make their community more resilient, increase choices available to and skills within their community, maximise the impacts of every pound spent locally and develop a shared food vision.   Food growing skills, communal and domestic using containers and permaculture/organic techniques; Foodscape the community – grow food in public spaces; Recruit ‘Fruit and Veg’ champions to support growing at home; ‘Share the Surplus’ – encourage and connect people with surplus produce to share. Cookery classes for all ages; Shared learning events on food skills & techniques; ‘Bake Your Lawn’ in schools – growing, harvesting, milling and baking breads; Develop mushroom growing project as a social enterprise for young people; Teaching lost skills related to food; Host pizza & movie nights where all ages make their own pizzas; promote a lovefoodhatewaste campaign with community and businesses. Totally Local campaign promoting local/seasonal produce; mystery market stall every month showcasing local produce, cooking tips; facilitate development of more food businesses; establish food hub. Part of theCFI Programme 2013-2015 Initiative Type Community Food Growing Projects Nutrition Education and Training Programmes Location Antrim Partner Agencies safefood

Building a Transition Community

Footprints is developing a Transition Community Initiative which will be another distinct area of work within the Healthy Living Project, as part of the group's ongoing endeavours to influence change within the Colin community, tackling health inequalities. The Building a Transition Community Initiative oversees the development of the grounds at Footprints Women's Centre and offers food growing training to local residents who will be encouraged to volunteer in the garden. A local gardener has been hired and oversees the development and training of the volunteers. The project will grow fruit and vegetables within the grounds of Footprints Women's Centre and this produce will be used within the Footprints Catering Services. Any supplies surplus to requirements will be used in schools in the neighbourhood. Skills learned by the volunteers will also be transferred to their gardens at home throughout the Colin neighbourhood. The aim is also to demonstrate how participation in this project will increase and improve the physical activity levels and mental wellbeing of residents. Part of theDemonstration Programme 2010-2012 Initiative Type Community Food Growing Projects Location Antrim Target Groups Women Partner Agencies safefood

Nutritional Standards for School Lunches and Other School Food

In September 2005 the Government received recommendations fromthe School Meals Review Panel (SMRP) on school lunches and on a number of wider issues concerning food in schools. In response to that report Turning the Tables the newly-established School Food Trust (SFT) was commissioned to advise Ministers on standards for food in school other than lunch.The DfES consulted widely on the recommendations of the SMRP andon a more limited basis on the advice of the SFT. Reports on the responses to each of those consultations are available at: www.dfes.gov.uk/consultations/conresults.cfm?consultationId=1319Having considered responses to those consultations and taken intoaccount the many representations the Department has received on theseissues from a range of stakeholders, the Secretary of State for Education and Skills has arrived at final decisions on the standards. These standards will apply to school lunches and other food provided in all local authority maintained schools in England.

TFC BD relacionals : sistema gestió d'amonestacions i sancions en centres educatius

La Generalitat de Catalunya, com a projecte de millores dins l'ensenyament, ha decidit preparar una implementació d'un sistema de gestió d'amonestacions i sancions en els centres educatius. Aquest sistema, serà un complement d'altres gestions ja existents als centres educatius, els quals tenen altres funcions diferents a la que es pretén al nou projecte. Aquest treball final de carrera és una proposta per donar una solució vàlida a les necessitats esmentades i cobrint totes les especificacions tècniques, incloses al plec tècnic de condicions.

Sistema de gestión de amonestaciones y sanciones en centros educativos

El TFC consiste en diseñar e implementar una base de datos para ser utilizada por la Generalitat de Cataluña y que permita a esta, mediante una aplicación que se conecte a ella y sirva de capa de negocio e interfaz con el usuario, gestionar las amonestaciones y sanciones en los centros educativos de la comunidad.

TFC 2011 : disseny e implementació d'un sistema de gestió d'amonestacions i sancions en centres educatius

Disseny i implementació d'un sistema de gestió d'amonestacions i sancions en centres educatius.

Obesity prevention opinions of school stakeholders: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: In general, schools are an important setting to implement current recommendations for obesity prevention in children because the vast majority of children attend school. This study investigated the opinions of different school stakeholders on the feasibility and acceptability of current obesity prevention strategies that could be implemented in Swiss schools. METHODS: Research methods were comprised of a qualitative study which included school directors, physical education teachers, catering staff, school nurses and health educators, parents of young adolescents, and young adolescents interviewed (N = 40) categorized into 6 focus groups. Open-ended questions were used to determine the participants' opinion regarding current obesity prevention recommendations, and healthy eating and physical activity promotion strategies. RESULTS: All participants approved the implementation of nutritional standards for food and drinks sold in schools, but thought that increasing the attractiveness of healthy options was the best strategy to improve eating habits. Enjoying participation in physical activity classes or after-school activities was stressed. Participants suggested offering classes for all students with poor physical condition, independent of weight status. Stakeholders called for governmental support and global coordination of interventions balanced with providing schools with enough autonomy to adapt programs relevant to their individual circumstances. They recommended integrating all school stakeholders in obesity prevention initiatives, with special attention to students and local authorities. CONCLUSIONS: Participants agreed that schools are a crucial setting to implement childhood obesity prevention strategies. They called on school stakeholders to join efforts aiming to encourage healthy behaviors and to support and reinforce parents' efforts by spreading consistent and coherent health messages.

El centre educatiu com a organització : un enfocament ètic

L'ètica ens ha d'ajudar a donar una resposta alternativa pel que fa a la millora educativa en els centres escolars: amb la tècnica i la llei no n'hi ha prou. L'educació és una acció constitutivament ètica, i això es pot concretar en la manera d'organitzar o de gestionar l'escola, i no tan sols l'aula.