Minister Burke launches I-PARC physical activity conference
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From: Department of Health
- Published on: 21 August 2024
- Last updated on: 12 April 2025
Minister for Public Health, Wellbeing and the National Drugs Strategy, Colm Burke today launched the Irish Physical Activity Research Collaboration (I-PARC) conference on physical activity.
Co-chaired by the Department of Health, the event features representatives of Government Departments, agencies and academic institutions, with the aim of aligning research and policy to increase population levels of physical activity.
It takes place alongside the I-PARC-sponsored annual meeting of the European Network for the Promotion of Health-Enhancing Physical Activity (HEPA) which is being held at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland this year.
Minister Burke said:
“I’m delighted to see so many experts attending this year’s conference and my hope is that Irish and international participants can effectively explore how different sectors can work together towards our common goal.
“There are so many benefits to physical activity, and conversely, so many consequences to physical inactivity, and I’m particularly interested in its physical and mental health impacts. This conference will feature contributions from a wide range of stakeholders across sport, transport, education, justice, environment and other sectors, examining how we can use best practice and research to create supportive environments that promote increased physical activity among all ages.”
The conference also provides an opportunity for Irish policymakers and practitioners to outline progress in the development of a successor to the National Physical Activity Plan.
Minister Burke said:
“Ireland’s first National Physical Activity Plan, launched back in 2016, put in place the governance needed for meaningful cross-sectoral participation. We have come a long way since then, engaging departments, agencies, researchers and academia to work together to achieve shared objectives.
“The new successor Physical Activity Plan, which will shortly be brought to Government for approval, will set out our approach to promoting physical activity in the longer term. The support of I-PARC will be crucial, ensuring continued collaboration between policy makers and academics so that the programmes we develop are evidence-based and can effectively support the population to increase levels of physical activity.”
Further details about this conference are available here.