On behalf of the NHS WI Public Health & Health Strategy Division, staff from Health Promotion participated at the Annual Public Health Conference, held in Peebles, on 5th and 6th November.

Staff were invited to present a range of posters on a specific piece of work they had carried out. The poster presentations selected for presenting comprised:

‘Money Matters – A Collaborative Approach to Antipoverty Initiatives in Rural and Urban Areas’.  The aim of this project is to increase the knowledge and understanding of the relationship between poverty and inequality and how these impact on people; to support operational staff in identifying gaps in service and engage more effectively with those facing poverty and social exclusion. 

‘Dr You – Your guide to self-help in the Western Isles’.  The aim of Dr You was to establish health and patient information resources in local and mobile libraries, relevant to needs of Western Isles communities.  The Dr You initiative is designed to engage with those living in a remote and rural island environment, with limited internet access/availability to health and patient information.

A presentation was also provided by Martin Malcolm, Head of Public Health Intelligence, entitled,  ‘Loneliness and Health Impacts Among Older Adults’.  The presentation summarised the epidemiological trends in loneliness among older adults and the main causal pathways between loneliness and ill-health. Key associations for key mental and physical health conditions are identified and latest interventions designed to tackle this problem. Points to further research required into this area for both policy makers, practitioner and researchers.

Posters from Boards across Scotland were displayed throughout the Conference where delegates could view and discuss them with their authors during breaks.