The high-tech boom that transformed Ireland from one of Europe's poorest countries into the feisty Celtic tiger has begun to show some rough side effects. Dublin residents talk about assaults, congestion and a heightened sense of aggressiveness in the streets. The gap between rich and poor is rising, and heart disease is up. All of this worries public health specialists who see their mission as addressing the social conditions underlying today's chronic diseases. One growing approach in Europe began in the mid-1980s with the support of the World Health Organization. It engages citizens in examining their health concerns and helps them to find their own solutions. In his second report on European Health Promoting Schools, Frank Browning visits a working class school on the edge of Dublin where students identify rape, murder, and mugging as their biggest health worries.
Copyright 2001 NPR
