4,000 – that’s the number of people in Northern Ireland each year who die prematurely. That adds up to 61,000 years of life lost unnecessarily, with some groups affected much more than others.

Allotments are being recognised as a catalyst for encouraging sustainability, healthier living and social interaction as well as a resource for local food growing.

Research has shown that contact with the natural environment and green space promotes better physical and mental health, and self-esteem. Allotment schemes themselves are typically low-cost compared to the benefits they bring.

The PHA has taken as one of its building blocks ‘Building sustainable communities’, one of the core themes proposed by Sir Michael Marmot in his 2010 report Fair society, healthy lives. In this report, Marmot advocates that organisations should:

42% of households in Northern Ireland are living in fuel poverty.  (Northern Ireland Housing Executive, House Condition Survey 2011).

A household is in fuel poverty if, in order to maintain an acceptable level of temperature throughout the home, the occupants would have to spend more than 10% of their income on all household fuel use.

There are three factors which impact fuel poverty:

• Both poverty and economic inequality are bad for health.
• Persistent poverty in Northern Ireland (21% before housing costs) is double that in Great Britain (GB) (9%).
• In January 2010, 43,000 children in Northern Ireland were living in severe poverty.

The PHA is committed to partnership working to address health inequalities and improve the health and social wellbeing of the population in Northern Ireland. This includes working in collaboration with the community, voluntary, public, private and academic sectors to address factors that contribute to poverty and ill health, and to ensure a decent standard of living for all.

• 26% of Year 6 pupils said they had been bullied once or twice in the “past couple of months” and 17.1% said they had been bullied “two or three times a month” or more often during the past couple of months.
• 37% of all respondents to the Young Life and Times Survey in Northern Ireland (16 year olds) said they had been bullied in school.
• Children’s sense of wellbeing and life satisfaction in the United Kingdom (UK) falls well below other European countries.

The PHA is committed to both innovation in, and implementation of, work that helps children and young people secure the best start in life. In particular, the PHA will progress evidence-based work that supports early childhood development.

The PHA’s publications team oversees the development and production of a wide range of high quality electronic and printed support materials for both health professionals and members of the public. The materials – ranging from training materials, campaign materials and scientific research reports, to booklets, information leaflets and posters – are produced to support and promote the various work areas within the PHA.

The publications team works closely with the relevant subject lead and ensures that: