{jcomments off}Individuals and organisations concerned about alcohol harm are being invited to make their voice heard on the Public Health Alcohol Bill in Ireland.  The Bill sets out to provide for health labelling of alcohol products, minimum unit pricing, regulation of marketing and advertising of alcohol, and enforcement powers for Environmental Health Officers.  For further information on the Bill, visit Alcohol Action Ireland's campaign page - www.alcoholireland.ie/campaigns/bill - where you can also write to your local public representatives about this important issue in just three easy steps.

{jcomments off}What are your chances of living to 100?  How do your early years, your family life, where you live, your lifestyle and your work affect these chances?  With one in three children born in 2014 expected to live to 100, these questions have never been more relevant.  This exhibition uses the latest iPad-technology to give you access to up-to-the-minute research findings via interactive games, quizzes, pictures, interviews and easy-to-understand graphs and texts.  The exhibition has been travelling around the UK, and will make its final stop in Belfast.  The ARK Ageing Programme invites you to visit it from 19th - 28th February 2015, in W5 at the Odyssey complex, Belfast.  This will coincide with the Northern Ireland Science Festival.  For more information, visit: www.liveto100.cpc.ac.uk   The exhibition is free for anyone holding an entrance ticket to W5.  However, there is also an arrangement in place with W5 to allow groups to have free entrance to the exhibition if this is booked in advance.  To make a group booking, Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

{jcomments off}Are you interested in starting a conversation about mental health in your community, workplace or among your friends? ...  If so, 'See Change' is hosting a series of training workshops across Ireland for anyone interested in getting a conversation going about this subject.  For details, visit: www.seechange.ie/become-a-see-change-volunteer-2

{jcomments off}You are invited to attend Action Cancer’s 'Action4Life' conference which will take place on the morning of Thursday 5th March 2015 in East Belfast.  The Action4Life programme, funded by Active Belfast, sought to improve the health and wellbeing of participants by addressing obesity and promoting physical activity in Belfast's most disadvantaged electoral wards which demonstrated the highest levels of cancer incidence.  Action4Life used a partnership and collaborative approach to achieve its goals.  The Keynote speaker will be Dr Ian Banks (President of the European Men’s Health Forum and Chair of the ECCO Patient Advisory Committee) who will speak on the importance of diet and physical activity in maintaining health and wellbeing, while reducing the risk of obesity, cancer and other co-morbidities.  Interactive stands and displays will showcase Action Cancer's services, Caroline Hughes (Research and Evaluation Officer in Action Cancer) will present findings from the Action4Life project, and guests will hear from programme participants.  For more information, Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Tel: 028 9080 3344.

{jcomments off}Men can be hard to reach with face-to-face health-related information and, increasingly, research shows that they are seeking health information from online sources.  Recognising this trend, there is merit in developing innovative online knowledge translation (KT) strategies which are capable of translating research on men’s health into engaging health promotion materials.  While the concept of KT has become a new mantra for researchers wishing to bridge the gap between research evidence and improved health outcomes, little is written about the process, necessary skills, and best practices by which researchers can develop online knowledge translation.  This article by Maria Lohan, Áine Aventin, John Oliffe, Christina Han and Joan Bottorff seeks to illustrate some of the processes and challenges involved in, and potential value of, developing research knowledge online to promote men’s health.  For more information, visit: www.jmir.org/2015/1/e31

{jcomments off}Pathways to Health Level 3 is a training programme for community, voluntary and statutory sector leaders committed to tackling inequalities in health using a community development approach.  The benefit of this training is the opportunity to link grass roots practice with operational, strategic and policy working.  It will provide participants with the opportunity to tackle health inequality in a unified way; underpinned by the principles and practice of community development.  The training is being organised by the Community Development and Health Network (CDHN), and is delivered as a series of master classes (one per fortnight, for 14 weeks).   Booking forms and further information is available at: www.cdhn.org/pages/index.asp?title=Pathways_to_Health_Training_Dates_2014_2015

{jcomments off}Whilst self-harm and suicidal behaviour are important issues worldwide, Northern Ireland, in particular, has seen an increase in the suicide rate over the last two decades - especially among young males. Collecting evidence and monitoring change on mental health and self-harm is, therefore, important to inform policy making.  A new ARK Research Update, released in January 2015, seeks to shed some light on this subject by collating the available evidence.  The paper is titled: 'Self-harm and seeking help among 16 year olds: Changes between 2008 and 2013', and it can be downloaded as a PDF file at: www.ark.ac.uk/publications/updates/update96.pdf

{jcomments off}Throughout 2015, the Men's Development Network (MDN) will be delivering their highly successful training programme across Ireland to anyone who is interested in engaging with men.  This day is facilitated in an open, friendly and experiential way, and draws upon discussion, group work and presentations.  Issues are explored via ‘7 Key Questions’ which have been developed by MDN.  These questions can be used in a number of settings to positively address issues which impact upon men's lives and to map next steps to a better life.  The training provides a valuable insight into why supporting men is crucial, explores successful ways to support men, and highlights best practice for engaging men with health and life issues.  For further information, Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  or  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.