Thirty Northern Ireland companies have signed up for Business in the Community and Public Health Agency's £ for lb 12 week challenge, committing to help their employees to lose weight. Last year, over 800 people lost 1,390 inches from their waistlines. Comparatively, this was the same height of the Albert Clock. This year, this friendly challenge, which is being supported by the Public Health Agency and Westfield Health, will involve at least 1,000 employees from 30 companies, with employers and employees matching every pound lost with a charitable donation.

As we progress through January, many people who quit smoking as a New Year’s Resolution may be finding it tough to stay off tobacco, so the Public Health Agency (PHA) is urging people to make use of the support that is available to help make their decision permanent. Gerry Bleakney said: “We know that stopping smoking can be very difficult, but help is at hand.

If watching your waistline has been part of your New Year’s resolution then the Public Health Agency (PHA) may be able to help with some healthy tasty recipes.

The first Northern Ireland PHA Health Protection Symposium is scheduled for Thursday 26 February 2015 in the Lagan Valley Island Centre, Lisburn. The HP Symposium will include an overview of the work of the Public Health Agency, health protection division over the last five years. There will also be a series of presentations, parallel sessions and poster competition throughout the day.

The Public Health Agency (PHA) is hosting a major symposium next month for health and social care professionals working in the field of self-harm. The 2015 Self-Harm Symposium: A Global Challenge will be held on 27 February at Riddel Hall, Belfast, to mark the beginning of Self-Harm Awareness Week.

As part of National Obesity Awareness Week (12-18 January) the Public Health Agency (PHA) is asking people to measure up to see if they may be inching towards bad health. More than three-fifths (61%) of adults in Northern Ireland are overweight or obese, and having a waistline of 37 inches or more for a man and 32 inches or more for a woman can put you at greater risk of developing heart disease, some cancers and type 2 diabetes.

The PHA's Smokers Helpline service (0808 812 8008) ceased on 31st December 2014. The demand for the smokers’ helpline has decreased in recent times, with smokers choosing to seek help from more online-based resources. As a result of this fall in demand, a decision was taken to close the helpline in order to focus attention on smokers’ preferred methods of seeking help.

Although the last couple of winters have been relatively mild in relation to flu, that doesn’t mean that this winter will be the same. The Public Health Agency (PHA) is reminding people ‘at risk’ that it is very important to get the flu vaccine now, as it can take two weeks for it to reach maximum protection – if you wait until flu starts circulating, it may be too late for it to be effective.