In this blog entry I want to talk about Healthy Living. I use the term healthy living as I am talking about health in terms of a whole life view. This means talking about health in terms of prevention; the type of things that we can do on a daily basis and local government could possibly do, to assist us live healthier lives. This is different from the health care system, which we tend to engage with only when absolutley necessary.
As Healthy Living is our first topic of consultation, it would be useful to place it in the context of the other important indicators of sustainable development that are contained within Dublin’s Sustainability Indicators Framework (2011). The diagram shows how inter-related Healthy Living is with these other aspects of sustainable development. This indicates how complex and broad ranging sustainable development is, linking to all areas of public life.
A Broad Range of Healthy Living Issues
Do you think it is possible to make changes so that Dublin will be viewed as a health promoting city? If so, can this be achieved with small changes or do we have to adopt a long term inter-generational committment to improving health? Even if we make these changes can we expect to have a greater number of our citizens living healthy for longer?
I believe the answer is yes, but that it will take a long term committment from all of the stakeholders who contribute to the operation, functioning and vibrancy of life in Dublin; including the citizens of Dublin.
There are already examples of policy initiatives than can impact on health. The bike rental scheme has proved a great success but are there other areas of transport policy that could make further contributions. Some argue that increasing pedestrianisation coupled with enhanced public transport would be advantageous for the city and would also improve health. Others feel this will decrease accessibility in the city and a tax on cars might be a better option.
These issues are obviously realted to land-use planning. Do we need to plan our commercial and residential areas to provide adequate local facilities and encourage people to walk? How can we best optimise the use of facilities to promote a healthy lifestyle?
Well planned areas can also help increase the accessibility to proper facilities. Should we plan to ensure that there is an equal spread of health facilities (e.g. GP practices) in all parts of the city? The city has great facilities, for example the sports facilities in schools. However, most schools close at 4pm and the local community may find it difficult to access them in the evening.
Who do we need to make these decisions and initiate change? Would it be better if the current system of local government were replaced with larger authorities and elected managers? Would they be in a better position to change the governance structures in the city? Also, could they help address social support structures, like fuel poverty that is known to negatively impact on health? Or is it down to the citizens to identify areas for change and initiate small local programmes to help themselves?
Maybe the citizens of Dublin are its greatest asset. What better way to promote health than for the citizens to be the drivers. How could we provide the education for the citizens of Dublin to become empowered with the knowledge to drive health promotion?
These comments are designed to generate a discussion and debate. There are unquestionably a wide range of opinions and hopefully this forum will offer people an opportunity to make a positive contribution.
Learn more about Sustainable Development and Dublin: Introducing Sustainable Development and Dublin, by Dick Gleeson, City Planner
Learn more about the current topic of consultation: Welcome to D5P – Topic 1: Healthy Living
Restrict access to alcohol to those over the age of 22 years
Anonymous (not verified)
on 13/03/12
I do not agree with this point, explain how you can restrict access to alcohol?
Neil Sargent
on 25/04/12
I think it is possible to make relatively changes in Dublin so that it is viewed as a health promoting city. I will discuss the role that community development organisations can play in achieving this, particularly in disadvantaged communities.
Health is influenced by the social, economic and political environment in which we live. Factors which are accepted as influencing our health include:
• Income levels
• Early life experiences
• Access to education
• Employment
• Food and nutrition
• Housing and environmental conditions
• Levels of stress
• Social support
These influences are known as social determinants of health. Farrell et al (2008) note that research has shown that the poorer and more disadvantaged people are, the more likely they are to face illness in their lifetime and to die younger than those who are wealthier. Health improves with each step up the social ladder. According to Friel and Conlan (2004) a range of socially disadvantaged groups in Ireland have a higher intake of less healthy types of food, lower levels of compliance with dietary recommendations and poorer nutrition intake.
I feel to improve equality in health in Ireland, and particularly Dublin, it is important that people who may not have previously had access to information on healthy lifestyles are given the opportunity to learn more on this topic. Community development groups across Dublin could start a campaign based around healthy living. They could identify people within their communities who they deem to be at risk and offer courses to improve these peoples knowledge in the area of healthy living, particularly nutrition literacy. Nutrition literacy will improve peoples ability to make informed decisions in relation to which foods they should eat and avoid, and what quantities are required to maintain health. This could also be a good way of encouraging people to get back into education and may help those who are often isolated in society to engage with other people in the community thus promoting community cohesion. It may also be a good idea to offer these courses to new parents as then it will allow them to teach their children the value of healthy lifestyles and help them give their children the healthiest start in life.
Yajima et al (2001) carried out a study on the results of the implementation of a community based healthy lifestyles programme in Tokyo, Japan. It was found that people who had taken part in the programme not only began to take better care of their own health but also to the health of others by providing health knowledge to others in their community. These types of courses need not be given exclusively to those in disadvantaged communities, although these communities should initially be the focus for the intervention. Educating people in local communities on healthy living will empower them with the knowledge to drive health promotion within their circle of family and friends and perhaps the wider community. It may also help build the capacity of these people to have more of a positive impact in their respective communities.
Community development organisations in Dublin could also arrange activities such as walking clubs for both adults and children thus promoting healthy lifestyles for all age groups. They could also organise sponsored walks and fun runs with the local community in order to raise funds for local resources. Solomon et al (2009) describe an initiative taking place in communities in America to expand the opening hours of school playgrounds to include after school hours and weekend hours in areas where there is a lack of safe open space for children to play. They note that a 2007 intervention study found that there was an 84% increase in the number of children who were outdoors and active compared to schools that limited playground use to school hours. Opening school playgrounds for use in Dublin after school and at weekends could be useful in areas that have limited safe, open spaces for children to be active in. People in local communities could work together to organise supervision for the children during this time. This would also facilitate parents of children in getting to know other parents in their community and thus may result in them working together to come up with other development ideas for the good of their community. This may be particularly beneficial to communities where people have little interaction with fellow residents. Activities such as these may help to increase levels of activity in all types of communities across Dublin, both disadvantaged and prosperous.
Bibliography
Battel-Kirk, B and Purdy, J. (2007) Health inequalities on the island of Ireland. Public Health Alliance for the island of Ireland: Dublin and Belfast.
diet.com (2010)Nutrition Literacy. Available at: http://www.diet.com/g/nutrition-literacy [Accessed 20th April 2012].
Friel, S and Conlon, C. (2004) Food Poverty and Policy. Combat Povert Agency: Dublin.
Farrell, C et al. (2008) Tackling Health Inequalities: An All-Ireland Approach to Social Determinants. Combat Poverty Agency: Dublin.
Solomon, L et al. (2009) Creating physical activity-promoting community environments: Time for breakthrough, Preventative Medicine. 49 (4), p. 334-335.
Yajima, S et al. (2001) Effectiveness of a community leaders programme to promote healthy lifestyles in Tokyo, Japan, Health Promotion International. 16 (3), p. 235-243.
Gillian Hannon
on 24/04/12
Gillian, I think you've not only highlighted some key issues here but also identify some very practical ways of tackling them, not least through community-level initiatives. Food choices are made very difficult in a wide variety of situations, while there are probably numerous opportunities and simple ways of tackling this.
I think most of us are a bit daunted by the idea of food literacy, as it can imply learning a lot of detail about individual foods, but that need not be the case.
Unfortunately, food literacy is not particularly encouraged in the most obvious area - the places we shop. Taking my local supermarket as an example, they sell a reasonable range of ingredients that are the components for a wide variety of meals, yet there is little or no information offered on what to do with them. There is the occasional recipe leaflet or, more typically, a few ready-packaged selections of ingredients for particular meals. However, customers are then discouraged from buying ingredients and cooking for themselves because of a very prominent array of 'ready meals' either pre-packaged or prepared in-store; none of them are 'healthy options'. The reasons for doing this are probably quite simple - I suspect the supermarket benefits from the added value of convenience.
I'd like to see local initiatives for supermarkets and other food retailers to promote healthy food choices, and make them easier choices, by offering guidance on what to buy and how to prepare a meal - a good selection of healthy recipe leaflets to pick up in the store, where everything is available, including healthier versions of meals that people are already familiar with and know they will like.
There are also established communities that already have an interest in healthy eating - I'm thinking of sports clubs and particularly GAA and soccer clubs. I would hope that there is already some discussion about the importance of sport and nutrition, but there is likely to be an opportunity to take this much further. Why not have regular sessions with the players preparing their own healthy meal, perhaps once a month in the clubhouse after a game, perhaps sponsored by a local food retailer, and ideally accompanied by the player's families.
There is most likely an opportunity to adopt a similar initiative within schools, where children and young adults are facilitated after school in a mixed learning/social environment, preparing healthy meals for themselves and each other; again, the pupils' families should be encouraged to attend and participate. Many schools also have the opportunity to take it a stage further and dedicate part of the school grounds for growing fruit and vegetables as both a food and learning resource, as well as a basis for more physical activity.
My final suggestion relates to the community of people who are unemployed. With time on their hands, this is a good opportunity to offer the chance to improve a wide variety of life skills (in addition to job skills) that will stand people in good stead for the future. Why not require those receiving benefits to participate in an enhanced life-skills programme and, amongst other things, offer people the chance to learn how to prepare healthy and inexpensive meals for themselves and their families.
There are many, many opportunities like these that simply need facilitation by those in a position to do so - a city-wide effort where local authorities, businesses and community organisations buy-into a coordinated programme to support individual and local communities.
Chris Kennett
MSc Sustainable Development @ DIT
CKennett
on 11/05/12
Gillian , I think you make some valid points on healthy living and the role that community development groups in Dublin could play. My response is in relation to two key areas; nutrition and exercise.
(i) Nutrition
Nutrition in schools has been targeted by the Nutrition and Health Foundation (NHF) which is funded by the members of the food and beverage industry. The NHF is a member of a network of European Nutrition Foundations (ENFs). There is also the School Meals Scheme provided by the Department of Social Protection which funds food provision in disadvantaged schools. The Food Dudes program administered by Bord Bia has also achieved success with healthy eating in schools.
The area however that needs more consideration is the education of parents as to what are the right foods to give to their children at home. The Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute, the professional organisation for dieticians and nutritionists in Ireland and the Irish Heart foundation both advocate the use of a food pyramid. The Food pyramid is a very clear and straight forward way of showing people how to eat a balance diet. Foods higher up in the pyramid such butter should be used in lesser quantities, more can be eaten of foods at the bottom of the pyramid such as cereals and fruit and vegetables. Foods similar in nutrition are grouped together.
Leaflets and/or demonstrations could be prepared by community development groups. There should be an assessment of needs for the services in advance. Recognised chefs could be used in order to attract parents to demonstrations. Leaflets would include the following
• Introduction - Food Pyramid, good food types and bad food types
• Cooking methods - oven bake, grill, boil, poach, and stir fry instead of frying
• Recipes- choose tomato based sauces instead of creamy based sauces for pasta and rice dishes.
• The dangers of processed foods - excess salt intake from prepared and processed foods leads to heat disease.
• Other health risks - obesity from fast food and large portions
Families should be encouraged to share meal times together. This is difficult were both parents are working, however if children have to eat separately from their parents, adequate provision should be given to ensure they are being given a nutritious cooked meal daily by the childminder or whoever is in charge.
(ii) Exercise
Urban sprawl is a serious issue in Dublin with the result that Dublin is car dependant. This leads to a sedentary lifestyle which contributes to obesity, cardiovascular disease, cancer and high blood pressure (Galea and Vlahov, 2005).
Community Development groups need to encourage people to use the car less and encourage cycling and walking instead. Cycling to school should be promoted. The National Cycle Policy Framework, 2009 -2020 promises safe cycling routes to all primary and secondary schools and third level colleges by 2020 with low speed limits of 30kph beside schools, improvements are clearly required in Dublin and progress on these goals needs to be monitored at a local level.
There are currently plans for more pedestrian areas in Dublin city centre to the west of Grafton Street. More pedestrian areas should be promoted in other parts of the city. New and regeneration projects should include permeable areas for cyclists and pedestrians. Residential streets should be reclaimed from the car, providing space for children to play.
Bibliography
Axford, N & Whear,R (2008), Measuring and Meeting the Needs of Children and Families in the Community: Survey of Parents on a Housing Estate in Dublin, Ireland, Child Care in Practice 14 (4), 331353 Full-text [online] Available: Academic Search Premier, [Accessed May 11 2012]
Weichselbaum, E, Gibson-Moore, H, Ballam, R and Buttriss, J.L. (2011) Nutrition in schools across Europe: a summary report of a meeting of European Nutrition Foundations, Madrid, April 2010, British Nutrition Foundation Nutrition Bulletin, 36, 124–141 Full-text [online] Available: Academic Search Premier, [Accessed May 12 2012]
Galea, S and Vlahov, D (2005) Urbanisation in Frumkin, H, Environmental Health, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco
Moeller, D (2011) Environmental Health, 4th ed, Harvard University Press, Cambridge
www.indi.ie
www.irishheart.ie
www.fooddudes.ie
http://dublinobserver.com
Mark McGarrity (not verified)
on 13/05/12
Hi Gillian，
You are making very realistic points and giving a lot of practical solutions on what local communities can do. I would agree most of the points you have made indeed. I would like to discuss some of my opinion on healthy eating based on your discussion.
First of all, I agree on the lack of food literacy. I’m just giving an example which I came across long time ago. A 20-year-old boy made a claim that pork dishes could not be reheated since reheated pork dishes would get people poisoned. Of course, theoretically, no dishes should be left overnight and eaten because green vegetable leftovers contain nitrite and low temperature (leaving dishes in the fridge) does no harm on listeria. However, do we really get poisoned every time if we eat reheated pork?
There are also other issues such as kids are allowed to not to eat whatever they don’t like at home; parents used there unclean hands grabbing food to feed babies on the street; teenagers buying fish and chips home because they don’t have basic cooking skills (or maybe they don’t want to cook?). These examples are what I’ve seen from families in different social class regardless of their education background. What I’m trying to say is that if we want to face this healthy eating issue squarely, we will find out that this is a widely spread problem.
The solution you have given is a very good idea that community programs can be organized to introduce information on healthy eating or food literacy. But why can’t we do something similar at the school? To give children at early age some basic and correct knowledge in a way suitable to them, to tell them what vegetables and meat are good for their eyes, hair, and skin. If these children are interested, they would like to do what they were told at school and to tell their parents what they know from school. There is also a huge number of teenagers do not know how to cook, making sandwiches doesn’t account. Is it possible to give them a series of live lectures on cooking to make sure that everyone has the opportunity to practice basic cooking skills on simple foods? School kitchen could be a perfect place for them to learn the skills by doing something they are able to do, as long as the safety and health regulations are applied.
In addition to your suggestion of “identifying disadvantage people” and “education not necessarily only on disadvantage people”, as I have said, I have found that some of the highly educated and wealthy people are not eating properly as well, it especially applies to the young parents when feeding their babies and their young spoiled kids. So in my opinion, more people need to be included in the program, and young parents are indeed should be the target group of being educated.
Sun (not verified)
on 15/05/12
Healthy Eating For Healthy Living
Healthy eating ensures healthy living for all. Of great importance is promoting healthy eating among children and adolescents. Research shows that having a healthy eating behaviour early in life will have positive long-term impacts on health.
I wish to discuss how healthy eating can be encouraged in the Dublin area in order to reduce the risk of childhood obesity and other chronic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes. All of which have been rampant in today’s society.
“Eating behaviours are central to an adolescent’s physical development, health, and identity and are determined by a wide range of factors, including knowledge, attitudes, socio demographic characteristics, and behavioural, familial, and lifestyle factors”. (Croll, et al, 2001, pg. 193).
Croll, et al. (2001) also explains how nutrient requirement needs are higher during adolescence, this makes it very important to ensure and promote growth and development. In addition eating behaviours developed at this time are likely to influence the long term eating behaviour of that person.
Healthy eating guidelines suggest that your diet is low in saturated fat and cholesterol, contains a variety of fruit and vegetables, wholegrain and foods rich in fibre, plenty of water, and ensure each meal is well balanced. These eating guidelines along with regular exercise helps to achieve a healthier lifestyle. Even though this becomes second nature to many people it’s hard to make sure that children and teenagers comply with these recommendations.
According to Schwartz (2011) balanced nutrition early in life in essential for health later in life. Schwartz further explains how weaning a child is of crucial importance in order to help the child acquire an optimal behaviour toward eating. Moreover since food preferences have shown to take shape early in life and track further on until adulthood (Devine et al, 1998), an optimal introduction of weaning foods will have an impact on the development of healthy eating habits, both short and longer term.
Hanson and Chan (2007) suggest that the majority of Studies suggest that low socio-economic status adolescents have poorer diets than their higher socio economic status peers. The problem is Healthier foods are more expensive compared to unhealthy food. According to a policy briefing on healthy food for all (2009) It is cheaper for low-income households to meet their calorie needs by eating snacks that are in high in fat and sugar rather than eating fruit and vegetables. The result is a diet high in fat, sugar and salt, which will later result in health problems.
The study carried out by healthy food for all initiative, suggests that access to healthy food should be the cornerstone of government food and nutrition policy. It further recommended that access to cheaper grocery outlets should be improved, and advices that this can be done through the revision of retail planning guidelines and be enhancing local transport systems. Finally it suggests alternative non-commercial ways of providing healthy food, such as the development of community food initiatives, such as food cooperatives and the expansion of school food initiatives based on healthy eating guidelines for children. The above will be important not just for low-income households but overall society given the current economic climate.
An example of one such community initiative that’s proven to work is Healthy Food Made Easy (HFME). HFME is a healthy food and cooking course set up by the HSE and is coordinated by the Northside Partnership. The course is aimed at supporting people who are interested in healthier eating, particularly where cost is a consideration. The main goal is to improve people’s nutritional knowledge and cooking skills. This will help them make healthier food choices for themselves and their families. In order to improve cross linkage of the HFME across the dietetic service, the HSE community dieticians have got on board so that they can refer any clients from their clinics to the programme. In addition to this public health nurses and doctors in local health centres are also encouraged to refer clients to the course.
The desired outcome is that participants/local households will change their behaviour and adopt a healthier diet as a direct result of the HFME programme. Studies carried out by HFME have shown that the majority of people that take place in their courses want to have a healthier diet but one of the main barriers is education. This is were the HFME comes in, by making a difference in showing people in the local community easy ways of preparing healthy meals for their families, ensuring that young children and adolescents are introduced to healthy eating at a young age. Statistics from a summary of their participant evaluations in 2010 and 2011 courses show that 90% said yes they have changed their shopping and cooking habits. More initiatives like this should be considered going forward.
Bibliography:
1. Croll, J.K., Neumark-Sztainer, D., Story, M., 2001. Healthy Eating: What Does It Mean to Adolescents? Journal of Nutrition Education, 43 (4). P. 193-198.
2. Devine, C. M, Connors, M., Bisogni, C. A., & Sobal, J. (1998). Life-course influences on fruit and vegetable trajectories. Qualitative analysis of food choices. Journal of Nutrition Education, 30, p. 361–370.
3. Hanson, M. D., & Chen, E. (2007). Socioeconomic status and health behaviors in adolescence: a review of the literature. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 30(3), p. 263-285.
4. Northside Partnership [online] Available at: http://www.northsidepartnership.ie/content/view/161/171/ [Accessed 23/04/12].
5. Policy Briefing October (2009). Healthy Food For All. [Online] Ireland: Available at: http://www.healthyfoodforall.com/documents/2009-10-20_AffordabilityOfHea... [Accessed 22/04/12].
6. Schwartz, C., Scholtens, P.A.M.J., Lalann. A., Weenen, H., Nicklaus, S., 2001. Development of healthy eating habits early in life. Review of recent evidence and selected guidelines. Appetite, 57 (3), P. 796-807.
7. Stead, M., McDermott, L., MacKintosh, A.M., Adamson, A., 2011. Why healthy eating is bad for young people’s health: Identity, belonging and food. Social Science & Medicine, 72 (7), p.1131-1139.
davisja
on 24/04/12
Thinking about healthy living – It’s a matter of changing lifestyles and can we blame the government for everything?
I begin this discussion with some basic facts and theories. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs claims that the most important needs in one’s basic human needs are food, air, drink, shelter and warmth. These are needed to maintain a healthy lifestyle. There are a wide range of issues that must be considered when thinking about one’s health. In this blog I will discuss healthy eating and exercise policy in national schools and the growing concern that is fuel poverty. To maintain a healthy lifestyle it is vital for citizens to have these basic needs.
Many believe that if certain ideals are instilled in children at a young age, this will prosper in their adult life. Healthy foods such as fruit, vegetables and dairy products are essential as part of a balanced food diet. As diets become more and more dependent on processed foods it is a matter of urgency to combat the growing obesity in this country and instil in children the importance of a healthy diet. The “Food Dudes” programme was implemented in schools in 2003. While this has been a success regarding the consumption of fruit of vegetables in schools more must be done to avoid the consumption of other fatty foods in children’s in school and at home. Results show that 93% of teachers reported that parents were putting more fruit in their children’s lunchboxes while 82% reported more vegetables in the lunchboxes.(www.fooddudes.ie (accessed 18th April 2012). While awareness in school about fruit and vegetables may be achieved nationwide, more must be done to highlight the harmful highly processed food and colorants.
Physical education (PE) provides children with learning opportunities through the medium of movement and contributes to their overall development by helping them to lead full, active and healthy lives (http://www.curriculumonline.ie accessed 18th April 2012). Currently one hour a week is dedicated to P.E in primary schools in Ireland. It may be argued that this is not enough time to allow a child become familiar with a sport and grow to like it. As stated by a report by the Irish National Teachers Organisation in 2007 “Though schools have two hours discretionary time, there is no evidence that this time is spent on PE”. (INTO Physical Education In Primary School ,2007) the proof is indeed in the pudding although we are fortunate enough to be a successful country in the international sporting world, nationally there are many young people afraid or unmotivated to take part in sport. Allocating more time to P.E in primary school to P.E and sport and highlighting and educating students on the importance of healthy food may be small steps in ensuring healthier lives in Dublin and Ireland. The positive step to ensuring effective physical education for young people is that of offering P.E as an exam subject for Juniour nas leaving certificate. The journal reports “the revised teaching framework for the junior cycle provides that students “should be able to participate in physical activity confidently and competently”, and schools will be able to offer courses with assessment through a “portfolio” of physical activities.( www.thejournal.ie accessed 19th April 2012). This could ve assessed in practical nad written assignments focusing on sports sciene and medicine.
Fuel Poverty:
On the other hand there are other issues arising in more recent times it has become more pressing. Fuel poverty is something in which effects not only old people as you may think but families also. The sad reality is that this has become more of a problem in recent times due to the increasing hardship people find themselves in due to the economic recession and increasing fuel prices. A household is said to be in fuel poverty if it spends more than 10 per cent of its total disposable income on energy (i.e. gas, heating and electricity). (www.svp.ie Accessed 19th April 2012). 3000 excess winter deaths of people aged over 65 recorded in Ireland between 2005 and 2009, over 400 were directly linked to the temperature inside their homes. (www.combatpovert.ie Accessed 19th April 2012). More than half of older people in Ireland go without food or clothing in order to heat their homes according to new report on fuel poverty among older people. This has become a growing concern in Ireland over the past few years with the winter mortality rate rising due to lack of heat in their homes. Healthy living and well being is being pushed aside to barely survive in some cases. Rapidly rising fuel prices leaves it impossible for people to survive in Ireland during the winter months. A system must be implemented to assure this does not reoccur. Perhaps a community fuel pool should be introduced villages and towns during the winter months where farmers can supply excess timber, wood or fuel for older people especially to use in their homes during the winter months with regular reviews of fuel supply in their homes.
Further Reading:
www.combatpoverty.ie
www.svp.ie
www.curriculumonline.ie
www.fooddudes.ie
www.thejournal.ie
Marie90
on 25/04/12
Marie-
In response to your discussion of fuel poverty;
I was initially surprised by the severity of fuel poverty in Ireland mostly because the Irish climate is relatively mild. In actuality, the yearly average of heating degree days for Dublin (2238 for the past 5 years) were only slightly lower than Berlin’s (2386) which has a higher winter demand but a lower demand during warmer months. Nevertheless, it should require less energy in Dublin to keep a home at the same temperature as one in Berlin. However, fuel poverty is a much bigger problem in the milder countries of the UK and Ireland than it is in Germany. (Snodin, 2008) One reason for this is construction practice. Irish buildings are notorious energy hogs, producing about 120 kg of CO2 per cubic meter of building space (highest in the EU) versus 70 for Germany. Recent changes to the building code will help to change this however; the legacy of poor construction practice must be addressed.
One of the biggest problems in Ireland is that poor construction quality results in buildings that perform far below their designed efficiency. Correcting this gap as soon as possible will prevent poorly performing buildings from being added to the building stock. In the end it is the home buyer who pays the price with high heating costs, and the environment that will be damaged due to unnecessary consumption of limited energy resources. It is also essential that proper training, certification and oversight are worked into the field of building renovation. Poor workmanship and incorrect detailing can worsen energy performance and also cause more dangerous problems such as mould and insufficient ventilation.
Improving Ireland’s building stock will require new buildings to meet higher standards and existing buildings to be renovated properly. The most recent building code is a drastic improvement over the last as far as energy efficiency is concerned and performance standards will continue to increase. Strategic efforts will also be required to address the existing building stock. In renovating existing buildings to improve air tightness and reduce heating demands, lies an opportunity to assist those who experience fuel poverty. Programs to finance deep energy retrofits which include increased insulation, higher quality windows, and demand based ventilation systems (through the State as well as private utility companies) are becoming more common (see link below for examples). It is in the interest of the State to develop programs that will reduce the energy consumed by buildings, not only to meet targets associated with the Kyoto Protocol, and EU directives, but also to decrease the number of people who struggle to meet their heating needs.
Start with those most in need. Perhaps state funded Development programs could be used to train people with construction experience to improve the energy performance of buildings and give them skills needed to perform retrofits in their communities. Investments in energy saving retrofits (that are completed properly) will reduce the amount of fuel that is required to heat homes, allowing needs to be met more easily. These aren’t flashy projects but the paybacks are real, not only in saving energy and money, but also in benefitting the community by helping people to meet one of their most basic needs. Efforts to address social issues such as poverty and unemployment in tandem with environmental concerns such as energy consumption have potential to produce novel programs.
To read more about energy performance of buildings see this report by the Building Performance Institute of Europe;
http://www.bpie.eu/country_review.html
A UK based study that discusses connections between fuel poverty and energy efficiency in buildings;
Snodin, H M (2008) ‘Fuel Poverty in Great Britain, Germany, Denmark and Spain- relation to grid charging and renewable energy’, Xero Energy
For descriptions of options for financing Deep Energy Retrofits;
http://www.rmi.org/retrofit_depot_the_blueprint_financing_retrofits
For Heating and Cooling Degree Day Calculations;
http://www.degreedays.net/
Heather
hyanusas
on 11/05/12
We need to think about tackling all the components of healthy living - healthy eating, physical exercise and mental wellbeing. Community gardens are just one way of tackling all three aspects of healthy living in Dublin City.
Healthy Living & Community Gardens
In principal anything can be grown in a community garden but food is commonly the principal focus. The motivation for individual growers and whole communities can vary enormously. For example, in developing countries or economically deprived neighbourhoods, the primary motivation is often better access to food through being cheaper or simply available, while in more developed countries or affluent neighbourhoods, the primary motivation can be food quality and freshness, education, physical exercise, relaxation or social interaction. What this indicates is that community gardens have the potential to address a broad spectrum of 'health factors'. Those who participate in community gardens tend to perceive themselves as happy, fit, well-fed and integral to their local community.
Numerous studies into the health benefits of community gardens have identified improved mental wellbeing as one of the most significant reported health benefits derived from community gardens. The evidence is inevitably anecdotal but if individuals are reporting themselves as being happier as a result of their participation in a community garden project, it is fair to assume that they are.
Improved mental wellbeing arises in a number of ways, not least because of a sense of community and social cohesion. Community gardeners enjoy high levels of interaction with each other, mostly on a spontaneous rather than planned basis, where they stop to chat and offer ideas or support. They may share tools, swap produce or help each other out. The community that evolves and gets to know often goes on to instigate and participate in other activities, the garden being a catalyst for a broader range of social interactions.
Improved mental health also occurs on a more individual basis. The (literal) fruits of their labour can bring someone a sense of great achievement and satisfaction when they are struggling to achieve their aims in other areas of life. Many find gardening a welcome distraction from other matters that may be a source of tension or anxiety, providing a focus on something unconnected, allowing the individual to relax and de-stress; it may even be the only 'quiet time' they get away from work and family. Or it may even be a way of spending quality time outside the home with the family.
It is difficult to establish whether, or to what extent, a community garden brings physical health benefits to the wider community. It could be argued that those who choose to participate in a community garden project already have an interest in matters such as healthy eating and gardening, or they may substitute other physical activities with gardening. However, those who do participate are generally undertaking moderate to hard physical exercise with all the associated benefits of aerobic exercise and activities that build strength and flexibility.
Studies indicate, perhaps unsurprisingly, that those participating in a community garden generally have a greater intake of fresh fruit and vegetables in their diet, particularly those in economically deprived communities where growing their own vegetables makes them more readily available. The impact may spread beyond those directly involved in the garden itself - families and friends of community gardeners typically have more fruit and vegetables in their diets too.
The educational aspect of community gardens is perhaps the most important when it comes to food and diet. As with so many aspect of life, learning the right lessons at an early age - at school age or even earlier - is likely to pay the greatest dividends for citizens health in the future. Therefore, if both children and adults can see how food grows and what fresh food tastes like, the hope is that they will make better dietary choices in the future and enjoy healthier living as a result.
Access to land for community gardens remains the greatest challenge in terms of quantity, location and permanence. Many community gardens exist under an ongoing threat of the land being redeveloped, whether they are allotments or more spontaneous in nature.
An interesting project in the UK with potential to deliver community gardens and largely overcome the issue of permanence is the 'Landshare' programme initiated by Keo Films and Channel 4. The principal is getting owners of private land to partner directly with would-be growers. Land-owners could be individual households with an under-utilised garden, a school or a business with vacant land; growers could be individuals or established community groups. While no single plot is likely to be permanent in the strictest sense, a large number of small plots within a local area should ensure the project is ongoing.
The healthy lifestyle and social benefits outlined above are an integral part of Landshare. Importantly, as an organisation and a brand, Landshare facilitates the participants by enabling them to find out about each other, and who can then seek practical support (tools, training, etc.) from other individuals or organisations, or simply get on with it themselves. In the four years of its existence, Landshare has facilitated almost 70,000 land-owners and growers and more than 3000 acres of land across the UK.
On the back of its success, the Landshare programme is looking to expand through international partnerships - I propose that the City of Dublin consider being its first international partner.
Bibliography
2012. Landshare International | Landshare - connecting growers to people with land to share. [Online]. Available: http://www.landshare.net/about/landshare-international/.
ARMSTRONG, D. 2000. A survey of community gardens in upstate New York: Implications for health promotion and community development. Health & Place, 6, 319-327.
BROOKS, C. 1988. Adult physical activity behavior: A trend analysis. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 41, 385-392.
LAUTENSCHLAGER, L. & SMITH, C. 2007. Beliefs, knowledge, and values held by inner-city youth about gardening, nutrition, and cooking. Agriculture and Human Values, 24, 245-258.
MILLIGAN, C., GATRELL, A. & BINGLEY, A. 2004. ‘Cultivating health’: therapeutic landscapes and older people in northern England. Social Science & Medicine, 58, 1781-1793.
WAKEFIELD, S., YEUDALL, F., TARON, C., REYNOLDS, J. & SKINNER, A. 2007. Growing urban health: Community gardening in South-East Toronto. Health Promotion International, 22, 92-101.
Chris Kennett
MSc Sustainable Development @ DIT
CKennett
on 11/05/12
Healthy Living in Dublin
Health in Ireland over the last decade or so has taken a nose dive for the worst, we are turning into a nation of unfit, lethargic and obese people. This is mainly down to our attitudes towards health I feel that Irish people are narrow minded when it comes to looking after their health we do not associate drinking alcohol or eating fast food with how healthy our lifestyles are. Irish people’s lives especially in the cities such as Dublin have become far more fast paced and contemporary people never appear to have time to stop and eat healthy or exercise, people do not look down the line to what may happen to their health due to their actions today. This has to be addressed sooner rather then later as Gillian said it is not as easy as just telling people that they need to lead a more healthy lifestyles as the reason people are not living healthy lives is down to other issues that also need to be addressed such as income levels, education, access to resources and a healthy living environment. Due to the economic downturn people no longer put their health as their number one priority as many families are struggling to put food on the table it does not matter what type of food it is. In the case of Irish society today the saying “your health is your wealth” has never been more appropriate. The people of a lower social status are those who suffer the most as they are the ones that cannot afford to live a healthy lifestyle and therefore are the most common to suffer from ill health.
In order for Ireland and in particular Dublin to create a healthier living environment for all I feel it is important to focus on two areas of society these are schools of all levels and local communities many of which have community centres that can be used to promote healthy living. Education is one of the key areas where encouraging healthy lifestyles could be most effective. All schools need to come together along with the Government and come up with initatives to encourage healthy food and exercise. Many schools now have healthy lunch days where the students can only eat healthy food, this needs to become a national campaign, it is also a cheap alternative as the vast majority of people living in Ireland can afford to buy fruit and other cheap healthy alternatives to junk food. The children along with the parents need to be educated on nutrition and the benefits it will have on a persons health both short and long term. Exercise is also an issue amongst young people the two main sports in Ireland are GAA and soccer and if you do not play one of these sports you are in a way segregated, children have to be encouraged to take part in all types of sport and funding needs to be supplied to other areas of sport such as cycling and swimming. I feel the idea of making PE a leaving cert subject is far too extreme of a concept to get young people active, sport or exercise is meant to be enjoyed and its therefore vital to allow people take part at their own pace. Communities and community centres especially in and around Dublin city need to develop a programme that educates people of a lower social class and perhaps hold weekly cooking classes explaining and showing the benefits of healthy food. People of all social backgrounds also need to realize that it is also cheaper to buy fresh healthy foods. Campaigns can be developed through community groups and the government to encourage exercise such as cycling, swimming, boxing and running clubs not only will these clubs help keep people fit it will also give those of troubled backgrounds something to focus and dedicate themselves to. The government have been successful in the Dublin bike scheme along with the bike to work programme it now needs to push on and progress from this by introducing more schemes relating to healthy food, alcohol and smoking. In order for Ireland to succeed as a nation and to come back out of recession it is important that we have a healthy fit population.
When people think of health they automatically think of nutrition and exercise however the issue of mental health has been highlighted as a major issue in Ireland, it is no longer seen as an issue that no one talks about. Today people are encouraged to speak about their depression etc. which can only be positive as people are now able to live a better quality of life with their condition. This has also reduced the number of suicides in Ireland. In these tough economic times mental health issues are becoming more popular then ever due to stress anxiety and depression, it is up to the government, communities, schools and the HSE to encourage people to talk about their problem which will in turn improve their health and quality of life.
Overall Ireland as a nation and Dublin as a city have a long process ahead of changing Irish peoples lifestyles, the government, schools etc can only do so much at the end of the day it is down to the people to make a conscious decision to improve their lifestyle.
Neil Sargent
on 31/05/12
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