HealthWise Wales Autumn 2017 Newsletter
Welcome to all HealthWise Wales participants! Over 3,000 people have joined since the summer newsletter, bringing the total number of participants in October 2017 to over 13,000.
Thank you for joining our study to support research that will protect the health of future generations. We still need thousands more to join us so that we can answer questions about health and wellbeing that will help us plan for the future. You can help us by sharing the link www.healthwisewales.gov.wales with friends and family and encouraging them to sign up too.
New to the HealthWise Wales website
My information - This new tab on the website will allow you to amend key information such as your address and contact details in 'my account'. If there are any details that you are unable to change here, please contact us on 0800 9 172 172 or by email: healthwisewales@cardiff.ac.uk
New questionnaires
We have re-organised the HealthWise Wales questionnaire page, to group questionnaires according to research topics. We hope this will make it easier for you to work through the questionnaires. The information you give us in each topic area will help us to better understand how we can improve health and wellbeing in Wales. New questionnaires available for you to answer now include:
Questions to help plan NHS services in Wales
Re-use of medicines: Prescription medicines are the most frequently used treatment in healthcare today. Around £800 million is spent by the National Health Service (NHS) on prescription medicines each year in Wales. Some of these medicines are collected from pharmacies and taken home but are not used. This can happen for a number of reasons. By answering the questionnaire on re-use of medicines, you will help us understand how you store and dispose of medicines in your home, what you think currently happens to unused medicines and what you think about the idea of unused medicines being dispensed to other people.
Questions for Cancer research
Sunbed use and sun exposure: We know that the majority of skin cancers are due to excess exposure to the sun and are therefore preventable. However, the number of people developing skin cancer continues to rise in Wales. Our skin protects us from all kinds of weather and we are particularly interested to find out how you treat your skin when the sun comes out.
Bowel symptoms and Bowel Cancer awareness: 1 in 14 men and 1 in 19 women will be diagnosed with bowel cancer in their lifetime. The Bowel cancer screening program started in Wales nine years ago. About half the people who are invited actually take part in the screening program and we want to increase this number. This questionnaire asks about your own and your family history of bowel cancer and related symptoms, in addition to the awareness of the symptoms and associated risk factors. Your responses to these questions will help us to understand why people take up the offer of screening and what barriers they face.
Questions for parents
Child Oral Health: Parents of children aged 2 to 6. Tooth decay affects the general health and well-being of young children. We would like to understand the full impact of tooth decay on quality of life in young children and their families. We also need to understand oral health habits like tooth brushing, visits to the dentist and how often sugary food and drinks are consumed. Parents/guardians are requested to answer for their youngest child if they have more than one child aged 2-6 years of age.
Questions for Pregnant women
Over 35,000 babies are born each year in Wales. If you are pregnant, get involved and have your say! Women and their partners want to be offered choices during pregnancy, with the support of a midwife they know and trust. Help us to understand your experiences so that we can carry out research to provide the best quality care during pregnancy and the early years. To complete the questionnaires click here.
Autumn events
The team and our HealthWise Wales Champions will be out and about over the autumn attending various events and conferences to help raise the profile of the project. You can see which events we will be at by following our Facebook page.
Health and Care Research Wales Conference 2017
On 5th October HealthWise Wales attended the annual Health and Care Research Wales conference at the SWALEC stadium. More than 300 people from across the research community were part of the event, which was set around the theme of inequalities in health and social care research. The conference's packed programme of events featured a series of engaging and informative keynote speeches, including one from Welsh Government Cabinet Secretary for Health, Well-being and Sport, Vaughan Gething, who spoke about the importance of research in Wales. Read more here.
Do you have a diagnosis of cancer and have completed your treatment?
Do you also have difficulties with any of the following:
● Moving around
● Breathing
● Chronic pain
● Looking after yourself day to day?
If yes, we would like to talk to you about your experiences for the Challenges of Cancer and Disability Study (CoCADS). The results will help us to understand the needs of people with a physical disability who are undergoing cancer treatment, and could help shape future cancer care practice. If you would like more information or are interested in participating in the study please contact Sarah Gaze the study researcher: sarahg@cardiff.ac.uk or by phone: 02920 688572.
