Northern Ireland Diabetic Retinopathy Screening Programme

This annual report for 2008-2009 outlines the background to the Northern Ireland Diabetic Retinopathy Screening Programme, the service model, and statistics.

Northern Ireland cervical screening programme: information for primary care and smear takers

From January 2011, the Northern Ireland cervical screening programme no longer invited women aged under 25 to attend for screening. In addition, the screening interval for women aged 25-49 was reduced to every three years. Thisbooklet describes the rationale for the change in policy so that primary care staff and smear takers can provide appropriate and accurate advice to patients.

Healthy child, healthy future - Information on the child health programme (0-4 years)

This booklet provides parents with information on the first four years of the child health programme for all families in Northern Ireland.

Cook it! An evaluation of a community nutrition education programme in Northern Ireland

Cook it! was originally introduced to Northern Ireland in 1995 by the Health Promotion Agency for Northern Ireland (HPA) in a collaborative project with the Eastern Health and Social Services Board, the Northern Health and Social Services Board and the North and West Belfast Health and Social Services Trust. Having run for five years, this initial phase of the programme was evaluated in 2000. Cook it! was found to be a valuable approach to community based nutrition education. However, a number of recommendations were made as to how it could be improved. In conjunction with a number of community dietitians the HPA therefore revised and updated the programme, which included a redesigned resource manual with improved session outlines and recipe sheets. The Public Health Agency was established in 2009 under a major reform ofhealth structuresin Northern Ireland. The four key functions of the PHA are: health and social wellbeing improvement; health protection; public health support to commissioning and policy development; HSC research and development.

Obesity - an acknowledged public health challenge

As we face a difficult economic climate, in which inequalities may worsen, the PHA faces many challenges in its efforts to improve the health of the population. One such challenge is the issue of obesity. Recently, in the Draft Programme for Government and, again today, in anticipation of the publication of the Consultation on the Review of Health and Social Care Services in Northern Ireland, the specific issue of obesity has been highlighted in the media.The PHA is committed to playing a lead role in tackling this major health issue and has been systematically examining the evidence of best practice and effectiveness to ensure that investment and working in partnership will bring clear benefits. A welcome consequence of any success would be a reduction in the impact of the physical, and emotional costs of obesity related ill-health to individuals - and the financial costs to an overstretched healthcare system.A multi-facetted approach to tackling obesity is required for Northern Ireland. This will mean working across government departments, looking at relevant legislation, taxation, food standards and labelling, as well as supporting a raft of programmes within education, workplace, and at the local community level."The prevalence of overweight and obesity has risen dramatically in recent years in Northern Ireland and is now the norm to be overweight, rather than the exception. The Northern Ireland Health and Social Wellbeing Survey (2010-11) indicated that 36% of adults are overweight and a further 23% are obese; this means that approximately 3 in 5 adults in Northern Ireland carry excess weight. A similar proportion of males and females were obese (23%) however males were more likely to be overweight (44%) than females (30%).Data from the Northern Ireland Health and Wellbeing Survey (2010-11) reported that 27% of children aged 2-15 years are obese or overweight. The findings presented here are based on the guidelines put forward by the International Obesity Task Force. Using this approach, 8% of children were assessed as obese, with similar results for boys (8%) and girls (9%). Obesity has serious implications for health and wellbeing and is associated with an increased risk of heart disease and stroke, type 2 diabetes, some cancers, respiratory problems and joint pain.Evidence indicates that being obese can reduce life expectancy by up to 9 years; and it can impact on emotional and psychological well-being and self-esteem, especially among young people.Obesity also impacts on wider society through economic costs, loss of productivity and increased demands on our health and social care system. It is estimated that obesity in Northern Ireland is resulting in 260,000 working days lost each year with a cost to the local economy of £500 million.The good news is that the intentional loss of significant weight (approx 10kg) in overweight and obese adults has been shown to confer significant health benefits, decreased morbidity and may also reduce obesity-related mortality.Key programmes and interventions are undertaken by the PHA in order to prevent and reduce overweight and obesity. The programmes/interventions are supported by significant ongoing work at local level. Examples include:the promotion of breastfeeding; local programmes to increase awareness of good nutrition and develop cooking skills, for example 'Cook It!'; promotion of more active lifestyles, for example, Walking for Health' and 'Teenage Kicks'; development of community allotment schemes; programmes for primary school children, for example Skip2bfit and Eat, Taste and Grow; and sports and other recreation, for example 'Active Belfast'. The PHA's multi media campaign 'It all adds up!' to encourage children to become more active and understand the importance of keeping fit, in a fun and exciting way, ran until October 2011. It encouraged parents and carers to go to the website www.getalifegetactive.com and download the PHA logbook It all adds up! to plan activities as a family. The logbook helped children and parents plan and keep track of their participation in physical activity at school, home and in the community. PHA is currently developing a public information campaign and other supportive work to increase public awareness of obesity as well as to provide advice and support for those who want to make real changes. The campaign development is well underway and is anticipated for launch in late Spring 2012. Like many common health problems, people living in disadvantaged circumstances suffer most and the PHA is committed to tackling this aspect of health inequality. The good news is that even a modest weight loss, of 1-1 Â_ stones, can help to reduce the risk of many of the health problems resulting from being overweight or obese. Information on losing weight through healthier eating and being more active can be found on the PHA websites - www.enjoyhealthyeating.info and www.getalifegetactive.com . These websites provide help and advice for anyone who wants to improve their eating habits and fitness levels, by making small, sustainable, healthy changes to their lifestyle. The PHA leaflet, Small changes, big benefits is also available to download from the PHA website, 'Publications' section.

Cook it! Fun, fast food for less: community nutrition education programme

This training manual was produced to support the Cook it! programme, which was specially developed for use in Northern Ireland. The Cook it! programme is delivered in the community by trained facilitators and can be used with a wide range of groups, including young/single parents, young people leaving residential care, offenders during rehabilitation programmes, older people in sheltered accomodation etc.The manual contains all the information needed to deliver Cook it! programmes in the community, including background information on healthy eating, information about dealing with special dietary requirements, sessions outlines, photocopiable resources and 75 recipes for snacks and meals.This updated version replaces the March 2007 edition.For information on training as a Cook it! facilitator, contact the health promotion service in your local Health and Social Care Trust.

Evaluation of Pilot One Stop Shop Programme

In November 2010, the Public Health Agencycommissioned Social Market Research (www.socialmarketresearch.co.uk) to undertake a formative evaluation of the pilot 'One Stop Shop' (OSS) Programme. This report presents the outcomes from this evaluation as well as recommendations to support the further development of the programme beyond the pilot period.

Social and economic inequalities in diet and physical activity

This briefing paper describes social and economic inequalities associated with two of the key determinants of obesity - diet and physical activity. The paper also explores possible explanations for these inequalities.

AAA screening programme flyer

This flyer has been produced to help maximise awareness of the abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) screening programme in Northern Ireland. It provides important information on AAAs, the danger they pose to the health of men aged 65 and over, and the screening process. The flyers will be distributed to eligible men through the following channels, among others: public events, eg talks with men's groups, Farm Families Health Checks programme;health information stands in shopping centres, supermarkets etc;GP practices;pharmacies.

Food Values Pilot Programme Evaluation - Summary Report

Food Values is a short programme showing how to get better nutritional value for money when shopping for food.

The Economic Impact of Gastroenteritis on the island of Ireland

The main objective of this study was to estimate the economic burden of gastroenteritis on the island of Ireland.

Cook 4 Life Programme

The aim of this intervention is - To contribute to improvements in health and well being by influencing food choice. The objectives are: - To work with targeted individual and groups to achieve the following outcomes - Increase cooking skills Improve nutritional knowledge Influence shopping choices - Assist budgeting for healthier food choices Raise awareness of food hygiene practices - To provide information on health and well being

Exercise Referal Programme

The aim of this intervention is to targeted physical activity programmes for clients with pre-existing medical conditions

MoreLife Family Club Programme 5 - 10/ 11 - 16

This intervention aims to promote: Increased fitness Participation in extra curricula activities at school Knowledge on how to make healthy food choices It aims to provide tools, knowledge and strategies to enable families to enjoy a healthier lifestyle and to target improvements to families confidence, self-efficacy and self esteem

Healthy Weight Support programme

The aim of this intervention is to assist staff in maintaining a healthy weight through encouragement of more activity and healthy eating