This study explored the intergenerational continuity of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in a male justice-involved population. 294 fathers aged 18-69 years in a Welsh prison completed a questionnaire exploring their exposure to ACEs. The questionnaire also measured the ACE exposure of each child they had fathered. The study found evidence for the intergenerational continuity of ACEs. Paternal ACE exposure was found to increase the risk of child ACE exposure, both to multiple ACEs and individual ACE types.
Time to Talk Public Health is a nationally representative panel of Welsh residents established by Public Health Wales to enable regular public engagement to inform public health policy and practice. The panel is designed to be broadly representative of the Welsh population by age, sex, deprivation, ethnicity and health board. This report presents findings from the May 2024 survey covering: Carbon Monoxide; Vaccines; Infections; and Health Stigma.
This piece of work focuses on the potential impacts of future trends on our social connectedness and community networks (our ‘social capital’) over the next fifty years. It aims to explore some of the factors which may support and strengthen social participation and networks in Welsh communities, as a central feature of a healthy and flourishing society, and those which may risk alienating, polarising and isolating individuals and groups. This report does not aim to predict the future but rather to prompt people to think about the longterm challenges, opportunities, and possibilities that future trends can present.
Working towards health equity is a challenging but crucial task. Public Health Wales is seeking to support you in this work, whatever your role, by compiling a range of national and international tools that have been developed to guide this work in different contexts.
Public Health Wales has published an overview of 22 health equity frameworks and tools to support governments, organisations, and individuals to work towards health equity. Frameworks and tools were identified through searches of key international and national resources.
Authors: Jo Peden, Rhiannon Griffiths+ 3 more
, Sara Southall, Rebecca Hill, Lauren Couzens (née Ellis)
Reflections from the Wales Health Impact Assessment Support Unit (WHIASU), Policy and International Health, World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centre on Investment for Health and Well-being, Public Health Wales.
The aim of this review is to consolidate and enhance the evidence base on the prevention of, and response to, public sexual harassment and other forms of gender-based harassment in all public spaces, to understand prevalence, causes and effective interventions. It will directly inform the priority of the Blueprint work stream: Gender-based Harassment in all Public Spaces. The Blueprint approach has been adopted by Welsh Government and Policing in Wales to support delivery against the Wales Violence Against Women, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence (VAWDASV) strategy.
The International Horizon Scanning and Learning reports were initiated as part of the COVID-19 public health response, to support dynamic response and recovery measures and planning in Wales. In spring 2022, the scope of the reports was expanded to cover priority public health topics, including in the areas of health improvement and promotion, health protection, and health care public health.
In focus: The Commercial Determinants of Health: Children and Young People
This summary calendar, the fourth to be published, presents a short and interactive overview of the five International Horizon Scanning Reports from 2023-2024, with themes including:
• Universal primary free school meals
• Mental health and well-being of refugees and asylum-seekers
• Five essential conditions for health equity
• Embedding prevention in primary and community care
• Impact of poverty on babies, children and young people
Trust in health and other systems can affect uptake of public health advice and engagement with health services. Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) increase individuals’ risks of ill health, thus understanding how ACEs affect trust in sources of health advice and other support is important to inform engagement with this vulnerable group. This study examined associations between ACEs and trust in health advice, other information and public services in a nationally representative sample of 1,880 adults in Wales.
A toolkit is available to staff whose work involves international health and working with global stakeholders. The implementation toolkit helps staff in Health Boards and NHS Trusts translate the Charter for International Health Partnerships in Wales into operational practices.
Despite advancements in societal acceptance and legal rights, LGBTQIA+ individuals continue to face significant disparities in mental health, sexual health, and healthcare access. Health inequalities among the LGBTQIA+ communities in Wales present a pressing challenge.
This blog describes the challenges experienced by the LGBTQIA+ communities in Wales regarding health and social care. It features strategic policies that are making difference, ensuring fair health access for all. The blog also highlights transformative efforts that are not only reshaping public health but also setting precedents for inclusivity across the nation.
The International Health Coordination Centre’s (IHCC) International Health Newsletter promotes and shares international news, events and initiatives with partners across Wales and beyond.
The newsletter was piloted in May 2023, thereon issued quarterly.
In 2016, the United Kingdom voted to exit the European Union, which was surrounded by political and social uncertainty. The United Kingdom now negotiates its own trade agreements, and in March 2023, it agreed to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (CPTPP). A health impact assessment (HIA) was undertaken in 2022–23 to predict the potential impact of the CPTPP on the health and well-being of the Welsh Population. This paper explores the HIA findings and highlights the value of the approach in engaging with stakeholders and informing policymakers. This HIA followed a standard five-step approach which involved a literature review to identify potential health impacts, qualitative interviews with cross-sectoral stakeholders and the development of a community health profile. The HIA identified potential impacts across the wider determinants of health and specific vulnerable population groups. Investor state dispute settlement mechanisms, economic uncertainty and loss of regulatory policy space were identified as key pathways for health impacts. The findings have been beneficial in informing decision-makers to prepare for the CPTPP in Wales using an evidence-informed approach. This work has demonstrated the value of a HIA approach that uses a transparent process to mobilise a wide range of evidence, resulting in transferrable learning.
Authors: Liz Green, Kathryn Ashton+ 6 more
, Leah Silva, Courtney McNamara, Michael Fletcher, Louisa Petchey, Timo Clemens, Margaret Douglas
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are stressful experiences during childhood such as child maltreatment and exposure to household difficulties including domestic violence, substance abuse, mental illness and family members being in prison. This study analysed data collected from 1,880 adult residents across Wales. It found that those who reported multiple ACEs in their childhood were significantly more likely to perceive they would be unable to cope financially during the cost-of-living crisis, independent of factors including household income level, employment status and residential deprivation.
Authors: Karen Hughes, Mark Bellis+ 4 more
, Katie Cresswell, Rebecca Hill, Kat Ford, Joanne C. Hopkins
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with poorer health outcomes yet their association with healthcare engagement remains relatively underexplored, particularly within the UK. This report presents the findings of an online survey with adults resident in Wales and England, developed to explore the association between ACEs and healthcare engagement, including comfort in the use of healthcare services.
Climate change is recognised as the biggest threat to global health of the 21st century and impacts on health and wellbeing through a range of factors. Due to this, the need to take action in order to protect population health and wellbeing is becoming ever more urgent.
In 2019, Public Health Wales carried out a comprehensive mixed-method Health Impact Assessment (HIA) of climate change. Unlike other risk assessments, it appraised the potential impact of climate change on health and inequalities in Wales through participatory workshops, stakeholder consultations, systematic literature reviews and case studies.
The HIA findings indicate potential impacts across the wider determinants of health and wellbeing. For example, air quality, excess heat/cold, flooding, economic productivity, infrastructure, and community resilience. A range of impacts were identified across population groups, settings, and geographical areas.
These findings can inform decision-makers to prepare for climate change plans and policies using an evidence-informed approach. The work has demonstrated the value of a HIA approach by mobilising a range of evidence through a transparent process, resulting in transferrable learning for others.
Authors: Liz Green, Kathryn Ashton+ 6 more
, Nerys Edmonds, Michael Fletcher, Sumina Azam, Karen Hughes, Phil Wheater, Mark A Bellis
The report highlights the highest carbon emission single-use plastic and waste items used in PHW’s Microbiology Laboratories and identifies recommendations to switch to more sustainable alternatives.
The solutions identified can be replicated across the wider healthcare sector.
Time to Talk Public Health is a nationally representative panel of Welsh residents established by Public Health Wales to enable regular public engagement to inform public health policy and practice. Welsh residents were asked their views on a range of public health topics. The survey had a focus on topics relating to children’s health and well-being, including questions of specific relevance to parents. To increase participation of parents in the survey, a parent boost sample was recruited to take part in the survey in addition to the routine general population sample. The February survey focused on the following six topics: parenting information needs, perceptions of breastfeeding, role of education settings in child health, child behaviour strategies, mental well-being, and technology use with family and friends.
This short report presents a demographic breakdown of data from a national public survey on perceptions of climate change in Wales that was undertaken in 2021/22. The survey explored the population’s views about climate change, its relationship with health, their current climate friendly behaviours, their willingness to engage in action, and views on policy solutions. This report presents data from key survey questions broken down by age group, gender, deprivation quintile, location (rural or urban) and highest qualification. Findings could help tailor awareness campaigns and inform the targeting of key messages and action on climate change in Wales.
People’s homes can have a significant impact on their health and well-being. This includes the ability to keep warm at home during winter. This report describes the findings of a national household survey of residents in Wales aged 18 years and over between January to March 2022 (wave one) and repeated between January to March 2023 (wave two). The findings use a sample of 507 participants who completed both survey waves.
This resource aims to inspire all of us to reduce health inequality in Wales and beyond in everything we do, by exploring methods to enable long-term thinking and sharing case studies which show how those approaches have been applied in Wales. It guides users through identifying relevant trends, generating a future vision, and setting a course for a desired future. Methods discussed include horizon scanning, the futures triangle, axes of uncertainty, and scenario planning, among others.
Authors: Petranka Malcheva, Louisa Petchey+ 1 more
This paper uses a conceptual framework for the commercial determinants of health to map the potential commercial determinants of violence. It examines commercial practices directly linked with violence (e.g., firearms) and those that indirectly impact violence through the design and promotion of products; employment practices; and impacts on environment, poverty, and local resources. The paper aims to apply the framework to consider its utility for identifying risk and protective factors for violence, existing good practices, challenges, and opportunities for violence prevention.
The Welsh Health Equity Status Report initiative (WHESRi) has published a spotlight feature blog to commemorate International Women’s Day. This spotlight feature focuses on gender equity in Wales, emphasizing the social and economic determinants impacting women’s well-being. It highlights persistent gender inequalities across various spheres, including health, employment, and violence, exacerbated by factors like race, disability, and economic status. To address Addressing these challenges requires gender-responsive policies, gender-inclusive budgeting, and an Economy of Well-being framework to promote positive outcomes and empower women towards a healthier and more prosperous future in Wales.
A practical, interactive tool that introduces Behaviour Change Techniques, considered to be the ‘active ingredients’ of behaviour change interventions. The tool walks you through how to identify and deliver Behaviour Change Techniques, drawing on the COM-B model and Behaviour Change Wheel.
Written in collaboration with the Central Evaluation Team and Public Health Wales, this is a practical and interactive tool that identifies key points to take into consideration when you’re planning how to test and evaluate your behaviour change intervention.
Authors: Alice Cline, Nicky Knowles+ 5 more
, Jonathan West, Lucia Homolova, Dr Charlotte Grey, Dr Esther Mugweni, Ashley Gould
This report outlines findings from a study that aims to understand the health impacts and social return on investment of a self-sampling service for Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) in an open prison setting in Wales. The study applies an innovative approach by using a Health Impact Assessment (HIA) lens and approach, in combination with the Social Return on Investment (SROI) framework.
Authors: Kathryn Ashton, Aimee Challenger+ 4 more
, Andrew Cotter-Roberts, Christie Craddock, Jordan Williams, Liz Green
The International Horizon Scanning and Learning reports were initiated as part of the COVID-19 public health response, to support dynamic response and recovery measures and planning in Wales. In spring 2022, the scope of the reports was expanded to cover priority public health topics, including in the areas of health improvement and promotion, health protection, and health care public health.
In focus: Impact of Poverty on Babies, Children and Young People
Authors: Leah Silva, Lauren Couzens (née Ellis)+ 6 more
WHIASU have created this document which looks to answer your Health Impact Assessment (HIA) questions, including looking at the benefits, what it involves and when to carry out a HIA, alongside other questions. Alongside our other resources, it can help to further your understanding of HIA.
Time to Talk Public Health is a national panel of Welsh residents aged 16+ years established by Public Health Wales enabling regular public engagement to inform public health policy and practice. The panel is designed to be broadly representative of the Welsh population by age, sex, deprivation, ethnicity and health board. This report presents findings from the December 2023 survey covering: Flu and COVID-19 vaccines, Vaccination and pregnancy, NHS 111 Wales Service, and Primary Care Clusters.
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