The important role of sport in terms of helping get a message across was highlighted by the engagement of Kilkenny hurling legend DJ Carey to promote the launch in Dublin last night of the Pfizer Health Index.
It reveals that public health has been negatively impacted by the recession but also holds out a warning for brands using social media as a keystone of activation efforts.
The Pfizer Index is a nationally representative quantitative market research survey of the health and well-being of the Irish population. It is now in it’s eighth year.
90% of those questioned felt that depression, anxiety and mental health issues have increased since the recession. The impact on finance and employment were the two at the top of the list of concerns while 36% say it caused divisions in the family; 34% say it caused other physical illnesses and about a quarter said that it caused relationship or marital difficulties.
There is also significant concern around the impact of social media, with three quarters agreeing that modern technology and social media can be detrimental to young people’s health. 45% of those with a child under 16 in the home strongly agree with this statement.
“Despite being physically healthy for years as part of the senior Kilkenny hurling team, I experienced some health scares of my own last year and no doubt the stress and pressure that I was under at the time contributed to them,” said Carey at the launch.
“Thankfully I was treated successfully for both conditions and I’m feeling great today but I can’t emphasise enough how important it is to look after your health, and in particular your mental health.”
The role of physical fitness and the community spirit of being involved in a sports club can be important factors in building self esteem and a sense of worth among individuals that are struggling in other parts of their lives.
This is seen in clubs across all sports and throughout the country as people return to a more community based element in their lives as opposed to the headlong rush that became more prevalent in the midst of the boom up to 2007.
Sport is also playing a major role in bringing mental health issues out into the open and taking away the stigma that has long been attached to issues like depression.
The Irish FA is hosting an evening conference on ‘Tackling Mental Health through Football’, in West Belfast on October 9th.
The conference is aimed at football managers, coaches and players at all levels of the game from amateur to elite. It will address suicide, self-harm and depression and how to tackle these problems through the context of sport.
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