With thousands of young people finishing school for the summer, the Public Health Agency (PHA) is encouraging parents to talk to their children about the risks associated with drinking alcohol and taking drugs. Many teenagers will be spending more time with friends over the coming months, perhaps even heading off on their first solo holiday, which may lead to excessive drinking or drug taking, so there’s an important role for parents to talk to their children about the risks.

Students who have just finished their A-levels and are planning to go to university are being encouraged by the Public Health Agency (PHA) to get a vaccine that can help protect against meningitis and septicaemia. The MenACWY vaccine helps protect against meningococcal disease, which new university students are at particularly high risk of contracting in the first weeks of term, when they will come into contact with many new people of a similar age.

The Public Health Agency (PHA) and Northern Ireland’s Drug and Alcohol Coordination Teams (NIDACTs) are urging people to keep an eye on their alcohol intake as they kick start Alcohol Awareness Week (19–25 June), emphasising the importance of knowing your units, the recommended weekly limit (to minimise risks) and the effects that alcohol can have on your health and your safety.

New nutritional standards have been developed to make the food on offer for staff and visitors in hospital restaurants and cafes healthier. People are increasingly eating meals and snacks outside of their home meaning that settings such as restaurants, coffee shops and takeaways businesses can impact on the quality of the food we eat by the choices they offer. Due to the rising levels of obesity and the associated negative impacts on health and well-being of the population in Northern Ireland, it is essential to promote and provide healthier alternatives.

The Public Health Agency (PHA) has today set out the next steps in the process for developing and tendering the Lifeline crisis response service, following the decision by the Department of Health to approve plans for its future. Lifeline is Northern Ireland’s helpline service for people who are experiencing distress or despair, funded under Protect Life, the Suicide Prevention Strategy.

The Public Health Agency (PHA) and Health and Social Care Board (HSCB) are expanding the successful 10,000 Voices health service improvement programme. Having reached the landmark target of 10,000 views on how health and social care is delivered in Northern Ireland, the programme is building on that success and seeking 10,000 More Voices.

The dangers of belly fat are being highlighted during Men’s Health Week (12-18 June) as the Public Health Agency (PHA) encourages men to think about the size of their waistline. Having a waistline of 37 inches or more for a man can put you at greater risk of developing heart disease, some cancers and type 2 diabetes. Caroline Bloomfield, Health and Social Wellbeing Improvement Senior Manager at the PHA, said: “Whether you’re a man or a woman, your health could be at greater risk if you’re storing a lot of fat around your waist.