Canada takes a stand against Viral Hepatitis

OTTAWA, June 16, 2016 – The Honourable Jane Philpott, Canada’s minister for health, reaffirmed today Canada’s commitment to participate in the global fight against viral hepatitis.

Speaking at a breakfast on Parliament Hill organized by the Canadian Society for International Health (CSIH), Philpott said to the health professionals, government officials, civil society representatives and hepatitis survivors in attendance,  “We are committed to do the work to end hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030. We are working closely with provinces and territories to address the ongoing burden of viral hepatitis.”

Canada, along with 193 other Member States, recently adopted the Global Strategy on Viral Hepatitis at the World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland. The goal – the elimination of hepatitis B and C by 2030 – signals the greatest ever global commitment on viral hepatitis.

The Parliamentary Breakfast also marked the launch of the World Hepatitis Day campaign in Canada.  WHD, celebrated annually on July 28, is dedicated to raising awareness about viral hepatitis and promoting prevention, and access to testing, treatment and care. Again this year, the Canadian campaign is spearheaded by CSIH and links some 65 organizations planning more than 100 events across the country. This year’s theme is: Know your status? Get tested. Know your options.

Eva Slawecki, Executive Director, CSIH said, “Hepatitis is not just somebody else’s problem. Thousands of Canadians may be affected by the virus and not know it yet. We urge everyone to get informed and get tested.”

Dr. Curtis Cooper, Director of The Ottawa Hospital Regional Viral Hepatitis Program, said, “The adoption of the Global Strategy is a milestone in the fight against viral hepatitis. It is now up to every country that signed on, including Canada, to do what it takes to eliminate these diseases.”

Facts:

• Viral hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver caused by one of five hepatitis viruses. Hepatitis B and C may lead to liver failure, cancer, disability and death.
• There are some 600,000 Canadians living with hepatitis, many of whom are unaware of their condition. Worldwide, more than 400 million people are infected, and 1.4 million die every year from the condition – more than HIV/AIDS or malaria.
• For more information on the Global Strategy on Viral Hepatitis: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2016/wha69-28-may-2016/en/

The Canadian Society for International Health (CSIH) brings the Canadian global health community together to better achieve a shared goal of improving health worldwide. www.csih.org

May is National Stroke Awareness Month. Learn how to get involved at www.stroke.org/NSAM2016. There you’ll find tools, resources, and free downloads to get started.

There are nearly 130,000 stroke deaths each year—that’s one in 20 deaths. A stroke can happen to anyone at any age. But up to 80 percent of strokes are preventable. The first step is taking control. Visit: www.stroke.org/prevent

There are controllable and uncontrollable risk factors for stroke. Do you know what they are? Visit www.stroke.org/prevent to learn more.

Mental Health Awareness Week 2016

16-22 May, 2016 

Every year, thousands of supporters across the UK take part in Mental Health Awareness Week. This year the week will take place from May 16-22 on the theme of relationships.

Healthy and supportive relationships are key to good mental health. Join us in celebrating the people and connections in our lives that add to our wellbeing and help us thrive.

Hold an event

Think about ways you can bring people together and start conversations around mental health. Some suggestions could be to:

• Host a wellbeing walk – with friends, colleagues or people in your community
• Set up a stand in your local hospital, community centre, library or supermarket
• Hold a series of lectures or talks on mental health – make it interactive as possible and get the audience involved!

The Mental Health Foundation fundraising team have got you covered with more event ideas for the workplace, schools and your communities.

You can add your event to the activity map – you can also see what other people are planning during the week.

Spread the word

During the week, the Mental Health Foundation will be posting stories and information on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Please follow them to help share their messages and to join in the discussion. You can also let them know what you’re getting up to by using the tag #MHAW16.

Visit the website for more information.

Mental Health Awareness Week 2016

16-22 May, 2016 

Every year, thousands of supporters across the UK take part in Mental Health Awareness Week. This year the week will take place from May 16-22 on the theme of relationships.

Healthy and supportive relationships are key to good mental health. Join us in celebrating the people and connections in our lives that add to our wellbeing and help us thrive.

Hold an event

Think about ways you can bring people together and start conversations around mental health. Some suggestions could be to:

• Host a wellbeing walk – with friends, colleagues or people in your community
• Set up a stand in your local hospital, community centre, library or supermarket
• Hold a series of lectures or talks on mental health – make it interactive as possible and get the audience involved!

The Mental Health Foundation fundraising team have got you covered with more event ideas for the workplace, schools and your communities.

You can add your event to the activity map – you can also see what other people are planning during the week.

Spread the word

During the week, the Mental Health Foundation will be posting stories and information on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Please follow them to help share their messages and to join in the discussion. You can also let them know what you’re getting up to by using the tag #MHAW16.

Visit the website for more information.

World Health Day 2016: WHO calls for global action to halt rise in and improve care for people with diabetes

First WHO Global report on diabetes: 422 million adults live with diabetes, mainly in developing countries.

6 APRIL, 2016 | GENEVA – The number of people living with diabetes has almost quadrupled since 1980 to 422 million adults, with most living in developing countries. Factors driving this dramatic rise include overweight and obesity, WHO announced ahead of World Health Day.

WHO is marking its annual World Health Day (7 April), which celebrates the Organization’s founding in 1948, by issuing a call for action on diabetes. In its first “Global report on diabetes”, WHO highlights the need to step up prevention and treatment of the disease.

For more information, visit our National Wellbeing Service World Health Day 2016 webpage.

International Day of Happiness 20th March, Every Year!

Striving for a Happy Planet

International Day of Happiness is a day to be happy. Launched in 2013, the United Nations has celebrated the International Day of Happiness in order to recognise the importance of happiness in the lives of people around the planet. The UN launched 17 Sustainable Development Goals that seek to end poverty, reduce inequality, and protect our planet which are three key items that lead to happiness and wellbeing.

The United Nations invites any person of any age to celebrate the International Day of Happiness each year on 20th March.

Show you support by tweeting on the 20th March with the hashtag  #InternationalDayOfHappiness

OCD Week of Action, 15-19 February 2016

From the 15th to 19th of February 2016 will be OCD Action’s Week of Action. During this week, they will be encouraging people to take action and fight against Obsessive Compulsive Disorder known as ‘OCD.’ Visit our webpage for more information including a video and mood self-assessment test.

Heart Month 2016

Every February is our Heart Month. There are things you can do to help your heart and you can encourage your friends, family and work colleagues to take action too. Visit our National Wellbeing Service webpage for more information.

Now in its 15th year, Mental Health Awareness Week aims to encourage the conversation around mental health to fight discrimination and stigma and promote good mental wellbeing. For one week in May, Mental Health Foundation campaigns around a specific topic. This year the week will fall from 11-17 May and will be on the theme of mindfulness.

News update: The importance of managing occupational safety and health (OSH) and in particular psychosocial risks and stress in the workplace was demonstrated in the sharing of good practices. A two-day benchmarking event for Official Campaign Partners of the Healthy Workplaces Campaign was organised by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA). For further details, see the event summary.

The Institute of Health Promotion and Education (IHPE) was established 50 years ago to bring together professional workers on the basis of their common interest in Health Education and Health Promotion with a view to their sharing experience, ideas and information. The Institute is a recognised professional association offering Full or Associate membership to those engaged in the practice of Health Education and Health Promotion. The Institute concerns itself solely with professional interests and activities related to the practice of Health Education and Health Promotion and does not undertake any trade union activities.

The Healing Power of Your Own Medical Records

Steven Keating, a doctoral student at M.I.T.’s Media Lab, collected and researched his own patient data, which led to the discovery of a brain tumour. He is shown in front of an image of radiation backscatter from his brain during therapy. Read more about this New York Times news item here.

How wellbeing policy is moving centre stage: NEF response

Recently the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Wellbeing Economics, to which NEF provides the secretariat, held a hustings event at Westminster, where candidates were invited to set out their party’s position on wellbeing. Visit the NEF blog to see their summary.

The Workplace Wellbeing Charter is an opportunity for employers to demonstrate their commitment to the health and well-being of their workforce. The positive impact that employment can have on health and wellbeing is now well documented. There is also strong evidence to show how having a healthy workforce can reduce sickness absence, lower staff turnover and boost productivity – this is good for employers, workers and the wider economy.

Parents rarely spot child obesity

Parents hardly ever spot obesity in their children, resulting in damaging consequences for health, doctors warn.
In a study of 2,976 families in the UK, only four parents thought their child was very overweight. Medical assessments put the figure at 369.
The researchers, writing in the British Journal of General Practice, said obesity had become the new normal in society.

More details: Parents rarely spot child obesity

Why ‘Wellbeing’ & Not ‘Well-being’?

Why ‘wellbeing‘ and not ‘well-being‘? The National Wellbeing Service is in agreement with the following statement made by the scholarly International Journal of Wellbeing:

The decision to close the hyphenated gap between ‘well’ and ‘being’ is intentionally forward looking. We know that in some disciplines (e.g. philosophy) wellbeing is still hyphenated. A cursory glance over journals from other disciplines demonstrates that many of them are already making the transition to dropping the hyphen. We expect that the hyphen will eventually disappear from all disciplines because of how the term is usually used. Both ‘well-being’ and ‘wellbeing’ most often refer to the general subject or topic of what makes a life go well for someone; they both tend to include consideration of things that makes peoples’ lives go better and worse. To avoid confusion about when ‘well-being’ means the opposite of ill-being and when it means the topic of what makes a life go well for someone, we propose the following. ‘Wellbeing’ should to refer to the topic of what makes a life go well for someone and ‘well-being’ should refer to the more specific concept – the opposite of ill-being.

The International Stress Management Association (UK) is a registered charity with a multi-disciplinary professional membership that includes the UK and the Republic of Ireland. It exists to promote sound knowledge and best practice in the prevention and reduction of human stress. It sets professional standards for the benefit of individuals and organisations using the services of its members.

• The International Positive Psychology Association (IPPA) was founded in 2007 with a tri-part mission: To promote the science of positive psychology and its research-based applications. To facilitate collaboration among researchers, teachers, students, and practitioners of positive psychology around the world and across academic disciplines. To share the findings of positive psychology with the broadest possible audience.

• The European Network for Positive Psychology (ENPP) is a collective of European researchers and practitioners with shared interests in the science and practice of positive psychology. Researchers and practitioners from other disciplines like economics, sociology, philosophy or biology are also invited to participate.