Teenagers, alcohol and the risk of Cancer
Drinking in Teens and 20’s Increases Cancer Risk
European Action on Alcohol Week runs from 20 – 24 November
· Drinking alcohol increases your risk of developing cancer. Drink less to reduce your risk.
This year’s European Action on Alcohol awareness week takes place from 20 – 24 November, with a focus on ‘Alcohol and Cancer’. The HSE is highlighting the campaign in Ireland and recommending that people visit www.askaboutalcohol.ie to find out more about reducing your risk of developing cancer.
Every year in Ireland, approximately 900 people are newly diagnosed with alcohol related cancer. Alcohol causes 7 types of cancer including mouth, larynx , throat, oesophagus, breast, liver and bowel and is listed by the World Health Organisation as a Group 1 carcinogen along with tobacco, asbestos and HPV. The cancer risks from alcohol are real. However, there is robust evidence which shows that over one third of cancers could be prevented through lifestyle modification.
This year’s awareness week highlights the link between drinking habits early in life and long term risk of developing cancer. Many young people don’t realise that drinking in your teens and 20’s increases your cancer risk. Just as smoking does not cause lung cancer overnight, drinking in your teens and twenties does not result in a diagnosis of cancer immediately, but it certainly increases the risk 10-20 years later. The campaign highlights the fact that for younger people, what they drink now has an effect on their cancer risk sooner than they may think. Quarter of women who developed breast cancer were under 55, and half of mouth, head and neck cancers are diagnosed in those aged between 50-64years.
Dr Marie Laffoy, Assistant National Director, HSE National Cancer Control Programme says, “We have known for some time that drinking alcohol regularly increases the risk of developing some types of cancer but this evidence means it’s important to get the message out to young people that what they drink now effects their cancer risk in the future. Drinking regularly in your teens and 20’s does have an effect long term and this isn’t something you can ignore until you are in your 50’s and worry about it then. The positive news is that this is something every individual has the power to control – the less we drink, the lower the risk of developing these cancers.”
Women in their teens and 20’s who drink regularly increase their risk of developing breast cancer by 34%. The Healthy Ireland 2016 survey reported that just 16% of 15-24 year old women were aware of the link between alcohol consumption and breast cancer (1 in 8 breast cancers are caused by alcohol). What even less will be aware of is that the risk of breast cancer risk is greater among women who start drinking prior to their first pregnancy. Even low levels of alcohol consumption (just over 1 drink per day) can increase a woman’s risk.
In Irish men, alcohol poses the greatest risk for mouth, head and neck cancers. Those who drink two or more standard drinks per day are three times more likely to be diagnosed in their lifetime with these cancers compared with those who do not drink. Over half mouth, head and neck cancers diagnosed in Ireland can be associated with alcohol. For men and women who drink alcohol throughout their lifetime, there is a 49% increased risk of colorectal cancer.
Research shows no significant difference depending on the type of drink. Whatever the type of alcohol consumed, the effects are the same. Drinking less reduces the risk of cancer.
For more information on a low risk approach to alcohol visit askaboutalcohol.ie. The website has features that can help you to assess your drinking including a drinks calculator and self-assessment tool. The website also provides information for people who are worried about their own drinking, or worried about someone close to them, and has a service finder to help connect people to support and services.
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Safer Internet Day takes place next Tuesday, 7th February 2023. Sadly more than 1 in 4 young people in Ireland have experienced cyberbullying, yet only 60% of victims tell their parents. As teenagers and children spend more time on the internet, ensuring it's a safe space is ever more important. To encourage conversation about life online and help parents keep their children safe, I'd like to share a free resource created by Switcher.ie. It's a comprehensive guide which includes things like:
I thought it may be useful to share the link to the guide - https://switcher.ie/broadband/guides/how-to-keep-your-children-safe-online/ - which you can include on your website ahead of Safer Internet Day, to help parents and children who may need some extra support. We've also put together some handy top tips you can use on your website: 10 tips to keep your children safe online
- How to reduce the risks online
- How to recognise cyber bullying and grooming
- How to educate children on cyber safety
- How to set up parental controls on devices
- Talk about it:Make time to chat about online risks and how to use the internet safelyas soon as they're old enough to go online. Encourage your children to speak to you about what they view online and empower them to act if they're worried about anything.
- Recognise the risks: Educate yourself about the potential dangers children could face online so it’s easier to spot warning signs. Get to know what platforms your children use, and learn about dangers such as phishing, grooming and cyberbullying.
- Teach the do's and don'ts: Be clear about the non-negotiables. For example, teach your child not to share personal details or photos with strangers and instruct them not to click on links to unknown websites or texts. Do encourage your child to question what they see and only accept friend requests from people they know.
- Spot the signs: Pay attention to your children's behaviour whilst on and off their devices. Being alert to changes in your child can help prevent problems from escalating. Some warning signs are withdrawing from friends or family, sleeping and eating problems or losing interest in previously loved hobbies or interests.
- Set boundaries:Let your children know what they can and can't do on the internet from the get-go. Agree on what devices they can use, when, and how long they can spend online. As they get older, explaining and negotiating boundaries may be more effective.
- Take 'parental' control: These ready-made boundaries put parents in control of what children can see online. They can be set up through your internet provider at device level to block specific websites and filter out inappropriate content.
- Be social media savvy: The popularity of social media apps like TikTok and Snapchat makes it harder to keep track of what your child is accessing online. Fortunately, each social media platform has its own privacy settings and safety tips for parents. Check them out before you let children have their own accounts.
- Protect from harm:Install antivirus software on family devices to minimise the risk of cyber attacks or scams. Use two-factor authentication (2FA) for extra security on your online accounts. This can also stop children from signing into services they're not allowed to use.
- Set a great example: You're the greatest 'influencer' in your children's lives when they're young. Limiting your time online, discussing dangers you've come across, and questioning what you view can help reinforce the rules you are setting for your children and, in turn, influence their online behaviour.
- Seek support:The more you learn about online dangers, the better equipped you'll be to handle them. There are some great resources like webwise.ie, internetmatters.organd cybersafekids.ie to help you recognise and reduce online dangers and seek advice if you think your child is experiencing cyberbullying or is at risk online.
Short videos on the Importance of Play have recently launched which was a collaboration between North Central CFSN and Lifestart Services. Volume 1 https://youtu.be/xl2F2vZXhbg Volume 2 https://youtu.be/OOy4lmWggtM Volume 3 https://youtu.be/tmv40--l7fA Volume 4 https://youtu.be/Wr9bfTWddts Volume 5 https://youtu.be/7HLkBXvVTFE Volume 6 https://youtu.be/NuUXb51qZY0
Infant Mental Health Awareness Week runs from June 13th-19th.
This week provides an opportunity to focus attention on the wellbeing, social and emotional development of our babies and young children. It highlights the importance of early relationships and a relationship based approach to interventions with infants and families. As our understanding of IMH and its evidence base develops, so also does our knowledge of how to apply this knowledge and an ‘IMH lens’ to interactions with infants, parents and caregivers in health and social services.
What is infant mental health?
Infant Mental health (IMH) refers to the healthy social and emotional development of Infants starting at conception up to three years of age.
The first 1000 days of life are recognised as a critical period of opportunity to support infant mental health. Decades of research have shown that it is the quality of the early caregiver relationship that is a significant determinant of the infant’s healthy social and emotional development and in turn physical health, right up to adulthood.
The National Healthy Childhood Programme has embedded IMH as the foundation of the development of its resources and in the approach of the delivery of the universal child health service. This embedding of key messages can be seen in the My Child suite of books (www.mychild.ie/books) and also on www.MyChild.ie where key messages around bonding and relationship building have been embedded for the parent/caregiver.
In clinical practice the topic of IMH has been included for the first time in the National Standardised Child Health Record. To build on this, the National Healthy Childhood Programme have just completed a suite of three eLearning units which are now available on HSEland for healthcare practitioners / caregivers who are working with children and families.
Throughout the week you will see videos and key IMH messaging being promoted on the HSE MyChild social media pages ( Facebook / Instagram ). Keep an eye out in the National Newspapers for articles from our experts also. (IrishTimes article)
In addition The National Healthy Childhood Programme have developed a series of ten practical videos with HSE expert advice which are now available on YouTube and on the relevant pages on the www.mychild.ie website.
These videos (2-3 minutes each) are aimed at parents/guardians of children (0 – 3 years).
These new video resources are available here while lots more expert advice for every step of pregnancy, baby and toddler health can also be found at www.mychild.ie
There are a suite of posters available focusing on the promotion of IMH messaging to order from healthy.childhood@hse.ie