AVAILABILITY

Róisín DevoyCFI Co-OrdinatorBlanchardstown Area Partnership

HI – Goal 2:Reduce health inequalities

Health and wellbeing are not evenly distributed across Irish society. This goal requires not only interventions to target particular health risks, but also a broad focus on addressing the wider social determinants of health – the circumstances in which people are born, grow, live, work and age – to create economic, social, cultural and physical environments that foster healthy living.

Availability

In Ireland, 61% of all adults and 25% of 3yr olds are overweight or obese. 9% of 3yr olds in lower socio-economic groups are obese compared to 5% in higher socio-economic groups.

What is a Food Desert?

• No fresh healthy food available locally.• Nearest shops were 2 miles away – no

infrastructure to get to them.• Transport, infrequent buses, routes not served.• Busy roads to cross, no pedestrian lights

How to get to the Shops?

Development

• Things have changed – work done over the years by Partnerships and CDPS engaging with the local community, identifying issues and working with local authorities and statutory agencies to improve them.

• New convenience store 2009• Fresh food is available locally now and a wider

selection of supermarkets within 2 miles to choose from.

Convenience Store!

• The type of food available is 90% convenience/fast food/junk food/processed.

• Only 10% or less is fresh food, including fruit, veg, meat and fish.

• It is difficult for people to choose the healthier option when there is such saturation of the junk foods which are heavily promoted and often on discounts or deals and so convenient to eat – very often with no preparation needed.

What CFI’s are doing:

• The work of CFI is to make healthy food AVAILABLE, affordable and accessible.

• Building Community Gardens, Educating, Planning micro business, i.e. – creating economic, social, cultural & physical environments that foster healthy living.

• CFI creating a healthy environment with fresh food growing in the heart of the community.

• Fresh healthy food on view, it becomes visible, available, not brushed under the carpet.

• Create Choices - a vibrant local economy and environment, farmers market, community cafe.

Delivering a Service

• People want to engage and we should be able to meet that need.

• When people are involved with their own health the outcomes are much better for everyone.

• Interventions do work – education programmes, people have the information are motivated and want to learn more.

The rationale for taking on this significant programme of work is clear – both in terms of health costs and potential health benefits. Proven economic benefits flow from having a healthy society. Prevention at the population level results in better value, increased productivity and improved quality of life. [46]Unless we change course, healthcare will become unaffordable for society and for the country.

Healthy Ireland• A Framework for Improved Health and Wellbeing 2013 – 2025, by the

Department of Health and Children

Intersectoral Approach – a whole-system response. Whole-of-government and whole-of-society approaches, often termed Health in All Policies (HiAP) highlight the fact that the risk factors of major diseases, or the determinants of health, are modified by measures that are often managed by other Government sectors as well as by other actors in society. Broader societal health determinants such as education, employment and the environment influence the distribution of risk factors in the population, thereby resulting in health inequalities. Whole-system approaches shift the emphasis slightly from individual lifestyles and single diseases to societal factors and actions that shape our everyday living environments.

Examples of various sectors involved with our CFI – Fingal C.C., Institute of Technology Blanchardstown, St. Patricks N.S., local volunteers, community groups, Scouts, RAPID, Resource Centre, Mens Sheds, Community Campus.

Supporting Government

Supporting CFI’s?

THANK YOU!

Partnerships and Reaching Beyond Government: Effective partnerships with citizens and communities, supported by a wide network of public and private stakeholders, are essential to gain insights into health and wellbeing at the local level. Building partnerships wins support for action at grassroots level and contributes to community development. [3] Identifying partners at every level of society, from government to business, to community and family will contribute to the implementation of mutually beneficial health and wellbeing programmes.

•We are happy to help.