{"id":289307,"date":"2026-02-09T20:39:04","date_gmt":"2026-02-09T20:39:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/289307\/"},"modified":"2026-02-09T20:39:04","modified_gmt":"2026-02-09T20:39:04","slug":"what-was-said-at-the-hses-world-cancer-day-webinar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/289307\/","title":{"rendered":"What was said at the HSE’s World Cancer Day webinar?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Exercise or physical activity can help reduce cancer risks, and every single move counts, a free HSE webinar marking World Cancer Day has heard.<\/p>\n

About 30% to 50% of all cancers are preventable through changes to lifestyle and environmental factors, the HSE said.<\/p>\n

It advised that there is \u201cstrong evidence\u201d regular exercise can help lower the risk of at least seven common cancers, including breast, bowel, womb, and kidney cancer.<\/p>\n

Led by Breeda Neville, a consultant in public health with the HSE national cancer control programme, the webinar heard of evidence suggesting physical activity reduces the risk of bowel, breast, and womb cancer.<\/p>\n

She said we now have \u201cevidence-based information on how small, realistic lifestyle changes can have a meaningful impact on cancer risk<\/a>“.<\/p>\n

It does not mean people who work out will never get cancer, but their risk of developing certain cancers can be reduced.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Cancer is affected by age<\/a>, genetics, lifestyle, and other factors.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n Should I start marathon training?\n <\/p>\n

No need to at all. Dr Emer Guinan said it\u2019s key to \u201cfind out what works and enjoy it”.<\/p>\n

She added: “Small steps like walking more, breaking up long periods of sitting, or choosing activities you enjoy at home, work, or in your community can make a real difference.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

Many workplaces have programmes encouraging people to get their steps in during the day.<\/p>\n

Dr Guinan, an associate professor in cancer rehabilitation and survivorship at Trinity College Dublin, welcomed such programmes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

She advised anyone who has physical ailments or is worried about pain to talk to a physiotherapist or GP before starting a new exercise programme.<\/p>\n

Niall Moyna, a professor in clinical exercise physiology at DCU, echoed her comments. His advice is that \u201cevery single move counts\u201d.<\/p>\n

Moving does not have to mean the oft-quoted target of 10,000 steps a day, he added.<\/p>\n

He spoke of how many studies show benefits for very unfit people from walking\u00a0\u2014 even for a few minutes daily. He advised starting with short walks, and to find a friend or work colleague to do it with. This creates an informal social contract and helps with staying motivated.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Can I get help starting exercise for health reasons?<\/p>\n

Yes. Patricia Sheehan spoke about the ExWell community exercise programme.<\/p>\n

This supports people with long-term illnesses such as cancers, heart disease, neuromuscular disease, mental ill-health, diabetes, or arthritis. Anyone can be referred in by a GP or other healthcare worker.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It is running nationally, and has groups in Ovens, Carriagaline, and Waterford.<\/p>\n

Ms Sheehan, a lecturer at the Department of Sport and Exercise Science in South East Technological University (SETU), said it runs in rural and urban areas.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ms Neville urged people to start, saying: “Physical activity is one of the most effective and accessible prevention strategies.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

Where can I listen back to the webinar?<\/p>\n

A recording will be on the HSE\u2019s national cancer control programme Ireland YouTube channel shortly. <\/p>\n

Niamh Griffin is the Health Correspondent with the Irish Examiner.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Exercise or physical activity can help reduce cancer risks, and every single move counts, a free HSE webinar…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":289308,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[13502,24276,1239,258,103,397,396,2120,61,60],"class_list":{"0":"post-289307","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-healthcare","8":"tag-ieexplains","9":"tag-bowel-cancer","10":"tag-breast-cancer","11":"tag-cancer","12":"tag-health","13":"tag-health-care","14":"tag-healthcare","15":"tag-hse","16":"tag-ie","17":"tag-ireland"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/289307","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=289307"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/289307\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/289308"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=289307"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=289307"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=289307"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}