Health

The Balbriggan Great Places and Spaces Map was the winner of the best mental health initiative at the Local Authorities Members Association (LAMA) awards. The initiative was driven by Thrive Balbriggan which describes itself as a community-led project “to create a happy and healthy place to live by conducting projects and events aiming at improving mental health and wellbeing”. It has been up and running since 2021.

There are very serious impacts from not having access to high quality free drinking water and more needs to be done in this area, according to Dr Grace O'Malley, senior author of the ‘Uisce Cliste: Healthy Hydration for Dublin’ report* launched in April. "It's known worldwide that access to drinking water is a social determinant of health. If (people) don't have access to free, high quality drinking water, it can affect the kidneys, heart health, learning and mood. Also, we substitute water with other drinks that aren't as healthy, especially as they are advertised all the time and pushed on children," she said.

A study into how increasing safe public drinking water and tailored education can improve the health of people living in disadvantaged areas, was launched in April. The ‘Uisce Cliste: Healthy Hydration for Dublin’ report tells how better access to free high quality drinking water in public spaces changes habits and awareness about the importance of drinking water. A secondary aim was to explore how well an Uisce Cliste project with Cherry Orchard FC, in Ballyfermot, where the report was launched, helped to reduce plastic and aluminium waste. The club now has smart water fountains and players now use club-branded reusable bottles.

New research released by Pobal today has found that people living in areas of deprivation are  significantly more likely to report poor health or disability. 

Funding for pilot wellness hub ends, but mental health work must continue

Physio and social entrepreneur Johnny Loughrey explains how the private sector fails us, how their gym is unique, and why it should be replicated across Europe.

This week is International Men’s Health Week, and the Men’s Health Forum in Ireland (MHFI), in collaboration with nearly 100 partner organisations, has issued a challenge to men across the island of Ireland to become an 'Action Man' and to follow ten tips to improve their health and wellbeing.

Society on the whole tends to view older people as non-sexual beings. Inaccurate as that may be, it is nothing new. However, it can have a particularly detrimental effect on the healthcare needs of those in the LGBT+ community. Since 2018, a course for health and social care professionals has been helping to make healthcare settings more welcoming.