Healthy Ireland A framework for improved health and wellbeing

2013 - 2025

Healthy Food for All20 November 2013

Dr Miriam Owens

Is Ireland Healthy?

• Many people living in Ireland and their families are affected by chronic diseases and disabilities related to – poor diet – smoking – alcohol misuse and – physical inactivity

Is Ireland Healthy? - key facts

• Obesity– 20% of all children are overweight– Almost one in ten three year-olds in lower socio-

economic groups is obese compared to one in 20 in higher socio-economic groups

– Two out of three adults are overweight or obese– 25% of pregnant women are overweight or obese

More health facts

• Alcohol– rate of alcohol consumption is one of the highest in Europe– responsible for approximately 90 deaths per month and is a factor

in half of all suicides

• Tobacco– 5,500 deaths per annum– around one million people in Ireland smoke tobacco products– 12% of children between the ages of 11 and 17 years are current

smokers– rates are highest amongst women aged 18-29 from poor

communities – 56% of that cohort – compared to 28% of their peers from higher social classes

Unhealthy behaviours

• Peoples lifestyles ----- whether they smoke, how much they drink, what they eat and whether they take regular exercise ----- determine their health and risk of dying young

• Close to half of the burden of illness in developed countries is associated with these 4 unhealthy behaviours

• Not randomly distributed across populations but are more common in some groups than others.

• They tend to cluster in both individuals and communities

Healthy Ireland Vision

…..where everyone can enjoy physical and mental health and wellbeing to their full potential, where wellbeing is valued and supported at every level of society and is

everyone’s responsibility

Healthy Ireland Goals

• Increase the proportion of people who are healthy at all stages of life

• Reduce health inequalities

• Protect the public from threats to health and wellbeing

• Create an environment where every individual and sector of society can play their part in achieving a Healthy Ireland

Healthy IrelandOperational Principles

• Better – governance and leadership– use of people and resources– partnerships– systems for healthcare– use of evidence– measurement and evaluation– programme management

Healthy Ireland Themes

• Governance and Policy• Partnerships and Cross-Sectoral Working• Empowering People and Communities• Health and Health Reform• Research and Evidence• Monitoring, Reporting and Evaluation

Update: Theme 1Governance and Policy

establishing a Cross-Sectoral Steering Group (1st meeting 26 Nov)

establishing Healthy Ireland Councilwork with DSP on Social Impact Assessment

potential role of local authorities public sector organisations and workplaces

promote and protect health and wellbeing of workforce, clients, communities

Update Theme 3Empowering People & Communities

Link with DES on education curriculum development

Support implementation of National Strategy for Positive Ageing

‘Activity-friendly’ environments

Update Theme 4Health & Health Reform

New governance arrangements for reformed structures to articulate Health and Wellbeing

Health and Wellbeing Division in HSE

Health and wellbeing quality and performance standards and indicators

Update Theme 5/6Research & Evidence/Monitoring, Reporting & Evaluation

Outcomes Framework – specify baseline indicators and targets; strengthen and develop network and collaboration

Research and Data Plan

Healthy Ireland ‘Survey’

Recent developments

• Launch of Tobacco Free Ireland under Healthy Ireland umbrella

• Launch of safefood child obesity campaign, in partnership with Healthy Ireland

• Launch of Govt. decision on alcohol policy/National Substance Misuse Strategy under Healthy Ireland umbrella

Healthy Ireland Brand

• Reflect values and personality• Public sector and publicly funded campaigns• Used widely and well• Symbol of a positive national spirit

Inequalities

• Food poverty / inequalities in diet can result in inequalities in people's health

• Obesity epidemic • Modern malnutrition• Consequences throughout life course• Policy response?• Healthy Ireland approach

Outcomes Framework

• Support the objective assessment of impact of Healthy Ireland

• Capture the wider determinants of health • Cross sectoral identification of indicators

informed by life course approach• Reported by key equality strands

Healthy Ireland indicators• 20% increase in physical activity levels• increase healthy life expectancy at age 65• reduce gap in healthy life expectancy between

social classes• increase the number of adults and children with

a healthy weight• reduce smoking prevalence and initiation rate• Food poverty trends• Social impact assessment: e.g. school food pgms

Healthy Ireland

Thank you for listening!