Today has been dubbed ‘Blue Monday’ in light of claims that it is the “most depressing day of the year”, and while the science behind it remains to be proven, the Public Health Agency (PHA) says that is still a good opportunity to take time out to look after your own mental health and that of people close to you.

The Public Health Agency (PHA) has produced a new leaflet for mums-to-be. ‘Getting to know your baby: How to start connecting with your baby’ has been written to help mothers understand why it is helpful to start building a relationship with their baby during pregnancy. It also explains what parents need to know in order to get off to a good start with caring for and feeding baby. The leaflet will be used to help midwives have conversations with women about getting to know baby and what to expect in the early days.

Today the Public Health Agency (PHA) is launching a new resource pack designed to assist nursery schools and playgroups deliver a healthy breaks scheme. All nursery schools and playgroups in Northern Ireland will receive the pack – ‘Healthy breaks for pre-school children’ – which includes a poster and information leaflets for parents explaining why a healthy break is so important for pre-school children and some tips and ideas for healthy nutritious breaks.

The Health and Social Care Board and Public Health Agency have developed a draft plan for volunteering in health and social care. Volunteering has always played a significant role in the delivery of health and social care in Northern Ireland. Volunteers add value to the work of paid staff by providing befriending, meeting and greeting, transport, chaplaincy, meal time support, breastfeeding support and many other roles.

To coincide with the start of National Obesity Awareness Week, the Public Health Agency (PHA) is today urging people to take up the challenge ‘From Couch Potato to Runner Bean in 10 weeks’. The PHA, in partnership with five local councils in the western area, will roll out a number of community obesity challenges and programmes between now and March.

The NILS is a large-scale record linkage study of approximately 500,000 people that was created by linking statistical and administrative data sources. The NILS previously included the 2001 Census returns, demographic and migration events, and vital events (births and deaths)...and as of December 2013 now also includes 2011 Census data.