Persistent problems such as smoking, alcohol and snack food need to be tackled.
The comprehensive snapshot of the nation’s health revealed in the Healthy Ireland study shows a nation edging tentatively towards greater wellbeing.
Progress is uneven, with significant differences in healthy behaviour between the sexes and along the social divide, but overall there is good reason for optimism.
It is clear from the survey that public health messages about the dangers of smoking and physical inactivity are getting through. It is equally clear the Irish aren’t yet ready to give up their fondness for alcohol, snack food and, to a lesser extent, risky sex.
Source: Paul Cullen, Irish Times, 08/10/15