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Healthy Ireland Survey 2022 reveals smoking is still a major concern

The survey, which is run on an annual basis, gives an up-to-date picture of the health of the nation and reports on many lifestyle behaviours, including smoking, alcohol consumption, weight, oral health and utilisation of health services. The prevalence of smoking has remained the same since last year’s survey. 18per cent are smokers and 46per cent of smokers have attempted to quit. The peer-led We Can Quit Programme is being rolled out in 19 community areas across Ireland.

The National Stop Smoking Clinical Guideline published in January 2022 defines best practice for care of people who smoke including helping them to quit. In Budget 2023, all Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) was exempted from VAT. And the Public Health (Tobacco Products & Nicotine Inhaling Products) Bill in development will introduce several restrictions on the sale of smoking products.

Findings on alcohol consumption indicate 67per cent have consumed alcohol in the previous 6 months and 32per cent of those would be considered binge drinkers. The Public Health (Alcohol) Act 2018 introduced a number of measures to reduce and delay alcohol consumption including minimum unit pricing, health labelling, regulation of advertising, reduced product visibility and the regulation of sale and supply.

Commenting on the survey findings, the Chief Medical Officer, Professor Breda Smyth, said:

‘I would really encourage smokers to visit the HSE’s Quit website for advice and support for quitting smoking. Similarly, the HSE’s Ask About Alcohol website has lots of helpful information and resources for anyone concerned about alcohol and other drugs, including advice for parents on how to raise these topics with their children.’

Visit Healthy Ireland Survey 2022 (www. gov.ie) for a copy of the Healthy Ireland Survey 2022 Report.

ALONE launches its ‘Share the Warmth’ winter campaign

support so that the organisation can help older people with the spiralling cost of living.

ALONE, the charity that helps older people to age at home, has launched its Winter campaign ‘Share the Warmth’.

The charity has continued to see a sharp increase in demand for its services as the number of older people living alone and/ or living in poverty continues to rise. The aim of the campaign is to ask people to share their warmth of friendship and companionship as well as financial Older people are among the most at risk from the implications of soaring energy costs, rising food prices and poorly insulated housing. Moreover, older people during the pandemic reported a decline in their mental health and suffering from loneliness. ALONE also noted that the number of older people living in poverty or at risk of poverty is over 100,000. We also know that a recent RED C Poll finds that 80 per cent of people plan to keep heating off at times even in cold weather. ALONE recently partnered with the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications on its winter response plan and is working to keep all older people safe and warm this winter in the face of huge increases in energy costs. The partnership will focus on mobilising and coordinating a whole-of-community response to the cost-of-living crisis this winter.

Sean Moynihan , ALONE CEO said: ‘We are looking for people to respond to our call to action to help us help older people who need our services. This can be done by volunteering your time, spreading the word, or even making a donation’.

If you or someone you know needs support this Winter, call ALONE National Support and Referral Line on 0818 222 024 from 8am – 8pm, seven days a week. ALONE operates 365 days a year will be there to take your call when you need us most.

Sport Ireland launch campaign encouraging women over 40 to increase physical activity levels

Key findings: • Nearly half of all Irish women (49per cent) over the age of 40 do not prioritise physical exercise • Only 28per cent of women over 40 believe they meet the World Health Organisation’s recommended exercise guidelines of 30 minutes of exercise 5 days a week • The leading barriers to exercise are being too tired (64per cent ), a lack of time (41per cent ), a preference to do other things (36 per cent ) and injury or disability (31per cent )

Sport Ireland, in partnership with Healthy Ireland, has launched It’s My Time, a new campaign that aims to encourage women over 40 to increase activity levels through exercise and sport. Repeated studies, including Sport Ireland’s Irish Sport Monitor, have shown that women over 40, particularly those from disadvantaged communities, are amongst the least likely to be physically active or play sport.

Despite regular exercise having been found to prevent and lessen menopause related symptoms, less than one in three Irish women over 40 believe they are meeting World Health Organisation physical activity guidelines of 30 minutes of exercise five times a week.

Nationally representative research conducted by Sport Ireland highlighted the significant and varied time pressures women in their 40, 50s and 60s experience including work, commuting, childcare, family commitments and managing the household. As a result, 41% don’t have time and almost two thirds are often too tired to exercise.

The campaign hopes to encourage women to prioritise their wellbeing by getting more physically active on their own terms. The campaign will run across digital, video-on-demand, and social and is supported by various sporting National Governing Bodies and the nationwide network of Local Sports Partnerships.

Women interested in increasing their activity levels can log onto https://www. sportireland.ie/itsmytime to access specially commissioned exercise videos covering; fitness, flexibility, strength and balance, an educational series covering; muscle health, bone health, cardiovascular health, sleep health, mental health, well-being and nutrition as well as easy to follow and convenient healthy recipes.

The campaign has been championed by Sport Ireland Chief Executive Una May, Sport Ireland’s Women in Sport Lead Nora Stapleton and also supported by the Department of Health Women’s Health Taskforce and Healthy Ireland. Catherine Martin, Minister for Sport, Jack Chambers, Minster of State for Sport, and Frank Feighan Minister of State at the Department of Health have also extended their support for the campaign.

Irish Men’s Sheds Association and Ipsen launch national roadshow Shed Some Light on Prostate Cancer

New research among Irish Men’s Sheds Association (IMSA) members reveals:

• Almost a third of members actively avoid discussing health concerns with close ones • 71per cent of members are worried about the prevalence of prostate cancer among men in Ireland • 17per cent of members have experienced prostate cancer, and 57per cent have had a close friend or family member diagnosed Irish Men’s Sheds Association (IMSA) has partnered with biopharmaceutical company Ipsen Ireland to launch a national roadshow series Shed Some Light on Prostate Cancer across 16 locations countrywide . The goal of the roadshows is to encourage more peer-topeer conversations about prostate cancer through the IMSA regional network of 400 Men’s Sheds in the Republic of Ireland – enabling men across the country to discuss personal experiences, concerns and management of prostate cancer.

New research conducted by IMSA among its member network shows that 17per cent have personally experienced prostate cancer, while a further 57per cent know someone close to them who has been diagnosed. According to the results, speaking about medical conditions like prostate cancer can be a challenge for men – with 32per cent of members saying they find it difficult to open up about personal health issues with friends or family. And over a quarter (29per cent ) actively avoid speaking about health-related issues with their close ones. This is despite the fact that 71per cent of men surveyed said the prevalence of prostate cancer among men in Ireland is a source of worry for them (one in eight men in Ireland are affected by prostate cancer in their lifetime)

IMSA and Ipsen have launched the Shed Some Light on Prostate Cancer roadshows to create opportunities for men to share their own stories with peers and facilitate a national conversation around the illness this prostate cancer awareness month. IMSA and Ipsen hope that by encouraging more discussions around prostate cancer in local Men’s Sheds across the country, more men will realise that they are not alone on their cancer journey and they can confide in others about their concerns.

Ray Wilson, a IMSA member and a prostate cancer survivor at the launch of the campaign