Healthy Ireland
A framework for improved health
and wellbeing
2013 - 2025
Healthy Food for All
20 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 socioeconomic 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 Ireland
Operational 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
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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 1
Governance and Policy
establishing a Cross-Sectoral Steering Group
(1st meeting 26 Nov)
establishing Healthy Ireland Council
work 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 3
Empowering People & Communities
Link with DES on education curriculum
development
Support implementation of National Strategy
for Positive Ageing
‘Activity-friendly’ environments
Update Theme 4
Health & 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 5/6
Research & 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
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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!