Michael Bell
Question:84 Mr. Bell asked the Minister for Health if he will outline his plans for health education in 1990, in view of the reduction in real terms in the allocation for that area in the 1990 Estimates.
Written Answers. - Health Education.
Funding for my Department's Health Promotion Unit for health promotion and health education initiatives comes from a number of sources. While the funds from the Exchequer represent the largest proportion of available resources, funds are also available from the national lottery and from the European Community.
The unit's work programme for 1990 reflects a broad intersectoral orientation. The programme includes the development of a strategic framework for health promotion under the aegis of the Advisory Council on Health Promotion. In addition to health service based programmes such as immunisation, the unit will also be involved in developing policies on a range of issues including nutrition, smoking, alcohol, safety and exercise. In this process the unit will work closely with the health boards and will involve other Government Departments and a range of interested groups in the voluntary, commercial, professional and educational sectors.
A new anti-smoking campaign will be launched during the year.
The campaign to eliminate measles, mumps and rubella is continuing.
Also continuing will be the food hygiene campaign, called CLEANWATCH, which enlists the support of local health boards, retailers and the general public in promoting greater awareness of the importance of hygiene in food and catering outlets.
The unit will be addressing the drug problem through a multi-disciplinary community based programme called "Drug Questions — Local Answers". This programme makes available training courses for facilitators in each health board who in turn bring interested people in the community together to familarise themselves with the local problems and, where appropriate, to engage in followup action in their own locality. To date over 200 facilitators throughout the country have been trained.
In collaboration with the National Youth Council the unit will complete the development of a special programme on Drink Awareness and Youth (DAY). The package aims to educate young people about alcohol and to equip them with the skills necessary to deal with choices they will have to make about alcohol during their lives. The DAY programme is currently being piloted around the country and will be available nationally in the spring. The programme is geared to the 14-16 years olds and will be disseminated through youth clubs. Resource materials for use in schools are also being developed. These materials, which are directed at the 12-14 years olds and which include a new educational video will be available by summer.
A broader based health promotional package for young people dealing with diet, exercise, nutrition, friendships, drug abuse, alcohol and smoking is also planned.
In co-operation with the Department of Education comprehensive resource materials on AIDS have been developed for use in schools. The materials have been pilot tested in a number of preselected schools around the country. The Health Promotion Unit and the Department of Education are now in consultation with relevant interested parties such as school management, teachers unions and parents groups. The intention is that the materials will be available for distribution nationally during the current school year.
The development of a health related physical fitness programme for young people to be developed through physical education classes in all schools will also be pursued.
Further school based programmes which will be supported are a health educational project in schools throughout the Mid-Western Health Board area and the development of health education materials to support teachers.
A conference on "Health Promotion in the School" will also be organised as well as seminars on cancer education for teachers.
School initiatives of particular importance are a national poster competition which will be launched shortly in primary and post-primary schools to design a lifestyle poster for possible use nationally and to provide a new health education focus in schools.
A major European Conference "Teaching of Cancer Prevention at Schools" will take place in Dublin next month which will involve participation by European educationalists. This conference will be run in conjunction with the Commission of the European Communities and is one of a number of initiatives which I will be undertaking during my period as President of the EC Council of Ministers for Health. The theme which I have chosen for the period of the Irish Presidency is "Youth and emerging Health Problems" and in addition to cancer education we will also be focusing on alcohol and drug abuse.
In co-operation with our colleagues in Northern Ireland, the unit is developing resource materials for a community based programme on healthy lifestyles. The programme will be piloted shortly in the Mid-Western Health Board. This project will address issues such as diet, nutrition, exercise, smoking, alcohol and stress and will be directed at a number of different audiences from the community setting to the workplace.
Financial support is provided by the unit for the community based Kilkenny health project — a pilot programme to modify risk factors for heart disease. The evaluation of this pilot project will commence shortly which will consider the potential of the project for replication on a national basis. An evaluation of the recent anti-smoking campaign will take place which will form an important part of the preparation of further national campaigns.
The unit will be supporting a number of voluntary organisations, providing financial and other assistance for health promotion activities, such as disseminating health information materials and running health related seminars. Further community based programmes include the development of a programme to educate and inform young people about child abuse.
In addition the Health Promotion Unit itself will continue to distribute to the public a wide range of health promotion materials. Since these materials are too numerous to mention individually, I propose to circulate the complete list of available materials with the Official Report.
In association with the Irish Pharmaceutical Union, the unit have established a distribution network through pharmaceutical wholesalers to all pharmacies in the country. In this way the public is given immediate access to a wide range of the unit's health promotion literature.
The unit will shortly be opening a comprehensive video library to cover health promotion topics and will have titles available to health agencies, professionals and educators.
I am satisfied that sufficient funds will be available to the Health Promotion Unit to ensure that an active and comprehensive health promotion programme will be in place in 1990 as in previous years.
Books
Book of the Child
Food and Babies
Understanding Drugs
Play It Safe
Alcohol Fact Sheets
Booklets
Giving Up Smoking
Back Care
Menopause
Gynae Book
Hysterectomy
AIDS
Is Your Child Talking Yet?
Your Better Health Guide
Healthy Eating
Understanding Specific Learning Difficulties
You Drink and Your Life
You Drink and Your Children
You Drink and young People
Solvent Abuse (for professionals)
Leaflets
Headlice
Smoking and Pregnancy
Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR)
Blood Pressure
Put Your Heart Into It
Cystitis
The Sun Seekers Guide to Health
General Information for People Travelling Abroad
Sexually Transmitted Diseases
CLEANWATCH (Food Hygiene)
Women and Alcohol
Solvent Abuse (for retailers)
Alcohol...A Problem
"Drinkwise"— A Self-Help Diary
At Home with Food Hygiene
Posters
Say "I don't Smoke"
Anti-Smoke stickers and signs
Nutrition
CPR (Save a Life)
First Aid Index Chart
Cleanwatch (stickers)