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Taoiseach and Health Ministers to launch 2019 Healthy Ireland campaign

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, Health Minister Simon Harris and Minister for Health Promotion Catherine Byrne today launched the 2019 Healthy Ireland campaign and announced funding of €1 million to boost community engagement on health and wellbeing in every county.

Analysis by the Healthy Ireland Unit in the Department of Health shows that 60% of Irish adults are overweight or obese, with only one in three adults meeting physical activity guidelines or eating enough fruit and vegetables.

This year’s Healthy Ireland campaign aims to address this by encouraging people to make positive choices to improve their health and wellbeing across three main themes – Healthy Eating, Physical Activity and Mental Wellbeing.

The 2019 campaign seeks to raise public awareness of gov.ie/HealthyIreland as the place to go that brings trusted sources of information and supports together in one place to help people get started on making healthy changes.

Unveiling the new campaign Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said:

When you are trying to switch to a healthier lifestyle, it can be hard to know what to do and even where to start. The Healthy Ireland 2019 campaign aims to help you get the information you need to make positive changes to improve your physical and mental health. Through Healthy Ireland, we are growing awareness in every county to make it easier for you to know where you can make that healthy start in your own community so you can eat better, exercise more and feel better. If you want to get started, check out gov.ie/HealthyIreland for more information.


Speaking at the event, Minister Simon Harris said:

Promoting the health of our population to prevent illness is an essential part of our Sláintecare strategy.  Under the Sláintecare Action Plan we will progress a programme to engage and empower citizens in their own health and wellbeing. The new phase of the campaign being launched today will help us get the messages of Healthy Ireland to an even wider audience. The work already underway through Healthy Ireland at national and local level, including through the growing Healthy Cities and Counties initiative, will be expanded as we seek to engage every family and community in improving the health of the nation.

Minister for Health Promotion Catherine Byrne said:

Our mission is to get the Healthy Ireland message into communities all across the country, so that people can find the information and support to make healthy changes close to home. I’m delighted that we are making additional funding available to every local authority to help boost the work to raise awareness and strengthen connections at local level, so we can bring Healthy Ireland to life in every community. We want everyone, young and old, to feel supported in their communities in taking steps, big and small, towards a healthier lifestyle.

62% of people were classified as overweight or obese in 2017

Source: Healthy Ireland Survey 2017, page 27

37% of people consume 5 or more portions of fruit and vegetables a day

Source: Healthy Ireland Survey 2018, page 14

Research by the World Health Organization in 2018 shows that only 33 per cent of Irish adults get enough exercise.

Source: WHO Ireland Physical Fact Sheet