Seán Fleming
Question:80. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the contribution her Department can make to reduce obesity in teenagers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56693/12]
View answerTuesday, 18 December 2012
Questions (80)
Written answers
The Government shares with many other agencies and professional groups, concerns about the growth and nutrition of children and teenagers and the immediate and longer term health risks posed by obesity. Understanding factors associated with physical activity levels and overweight/obesity in Irish children is therefore critical to effective prevention efforts.
The large scale study, ‘Growing Up in Ireland’ longitudinal study, for which by my Department is responsible, recently re-interviewed 7,400 children aged 13 years, some four years after they were initially interviewed, and gathered information on the extent of overweight and obesity in the group. From this work, and comparable international studies, we know child overweight and obesity is increasing. This data collected revealed that 74% of 13-year-olds were not overweight, 20% were overweight, and 6% were obese. As was the case at 9 years, more than one in four 13-year-olds was either overweight or obese. Girls were more likely to be overweight than boys (22% compared to 18%) and were slightly more likely to be obese (8% compared to 5%).
The data also showed that relatively few non-overweight 9-year-olds had developed weight problems by age 13 while those with weight problems at 9 years tended to maintain them. This reinforces the importance of early intervention. Children who are a healthy weight at aged 3 or age 9 are much less likely to have weight problems as a teenager.
It is widely accepted by researchers that there is a strong link between physical activity and overweight and habits formed in youth tend to carry over into adulthood. The Growing Up in Ireland Study also clearly confirms this finding with young people who took more exercise being less likely to be overweight or obese, especially in comparison with those who never exercised.
The National Play and Recreation policies, for which my Department has responsibility, seeks to actively promote the participation of children and young people in play and exercise, an effective way of helping them maintain a healthy weight. In February 2012, I established the Local Authority Play and Recreation Network (LAPRN) to introduce a more coordinated and interagency approach to achieving the goals of the play and recreation policies at both national and local level. An early achievement of the network has been the development, expansion and branding of National Play Day & National Recreation Week which now take place annually in Local Authority areas with the Play Day being held in July and October. This year saw the largest ever participation with 26 Councils staging events. For the first time every county in Ireland participated in National Recreation Week 2012.
My Department is participating in the Department of Health led Special Advisory Group on Obesity. In conjunction with the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) the Group has been considering a number of issues including, for example, how technical support might be provided to small restaurant/coffee shop owners to assist them to provide calorie content information as this could facilitate young people in making healthier choices.