Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 25 June 2013
72. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Health his plans for the introduction of a national strategy for a childhood obesity prevention and intervention service; if he has engaged directly and, if not, if he will engage with the anchors or providers of the W82GO childhood obesity treatment programme at Temple Street Children's Hospital, Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30747/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs Minister for Health, I have made excess weight and obesity a public health priority. I have established the special action group on obesity, or SAGO, with which I meet regularly to further the obesity agenda. The range of measures being implemented by my Department seeks to promote healthy lifestyles, encourage adults and children to make healthier food choices and increase activeness. SAGO is working on a combination of priority actions which, taken together, should make a difference in the long term. These measures include calorie posting in restaurants, healthy eating guidelines, addressing the marketing of food and drink to children, treatment algorithms, opportunistic screening and monitoring for excess weight and obesity, addressing vending machines in schools and a physical activity plan. SAGO is also looking at ways to promote healthy eating in accordance with my Department's healthy-eating guidelines.
The health and well-being programme in the Department of Health is working with the HSE and safefood to develop an integrated advertising and promotional campaign for September 2013 to increase awareness among parents of the health challenges posed to their children by excess weight. The target audience of the campaign includes primary carers of children aged between one and 12 and key influencers, including health professionals, community development workers and educators. Key partners are being identified, as are opportunities for them to come on board and deliver some of their existing projects in the context of the broader campaign. The core message of the campaign will be broadly focused on families in general and will inform them of what to do if they recognise unhealthy behaviours, rather than focusing specifically on weight status. Body image issues and the stigma of being overweight or obese are critical factors to be borne in mind in all aspects of the campaign.
As Minister for Health, I arranged an informal EU ministerial meeting during our Presidency, of which, I am pleased to say, childhood excess weight and obesity issues were a key element. The European Union is drafting an action plan for member states to take this work forward.
Additional information not given on the floor of the House
The HSE has a significant involvement in addressing childhood obesity. This includes three intervention programmes and 18 national prevention programmes targeting children. There are also regional obesity intervention and prevention programmes. The HSE is also involved with the W82GO programme and has recently agreed that the programme will be expanded in Dublin. The HSE has also advised me that it will be training a further 12 people across the country and may extend the programme further next year.
Will the Minister clarify his plans, about which I asked in the first part of my question, for the introduction of a national strategy for a childhood obesity prevention and integration service? I am particularly keen to know if it is part of what he proposes to introduce.
At the meeting of the Joint Committee on Health and Children on Thursday, 13 June 2013, we were addressed by experts from Children's University Hospital Temple Street and the Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute. They were very clear in their analysis of the current and impending crisis of childhood obesity. They put forward recommendations to help address what the Minister and I agree is a very disturbing and serious issue. Among the recommendations made by the witnesses were sustainable Government funding for the evidence-based programme W82GO, which is run by Temple Street hospital for children who are clinically obese, co-ordinated and sustainable funding of an evidence-based community treatment programme such as Up4it, which was funded and supported by CAWT and had an impact in my constituency, and the appointment of a national post for obesity management. The other critical points made were on consistency and delivery and the engagement of the Government and the HSE with clinical experts, including those I mentioned. As I asked in the substantive question, will the Minister take the opportunity to meet with these expert voices?
I am in regular contact with the Department's team and its strategic action group on obesity. There has been a lot of involvement by the HSE in this regard. We are always happy to meet with people who have an interest in the area to support the initiative. This is the Department of Health but I often think it is the Department of ill-health, given that we are always dealing with disease and cure rather than prevention and trying to keep people well. We have a new Government initiative, involving all Departments, and an acknowledgement that the Department of Health alone cannot keep people healthy. We require the support of the Department of Education and Skills to educate children early on healthy lifestyles and good diets, the assistance of the Department of Justice and Equality in keeping places safe for people to exercise at night, the co-operation of the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport to make it easier for people to walk and use public transport rather than driving from A to B, the assistance of the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government in providing well-lit, safe footpaths and the assistance of the Department of Finance in respect of how it taxes various products, putting a lien on what is unhealthy and making fruit and healthier foods less expensive. It can also examine the VAT rate on vending machines. I will be making proposals to the Government about vending machines offering fresh fruit, water and perishables rather than sweetened fizzy drinks, chocolate and crisps.
I welcome the Minister's acknowledgement that this is a cross-departmental issue. He is right. It will require the enthusiastic involvement of the Departments of Transport, Tourism and Sport, Education and Skills, Children and Youth Affairs and, as the Minister mentioned, Justice and Equality. Is there cross-departmental engagement in a structured co-ordinated way as the Minister suggests is necessary?
With regard to the points commended to us by the experts at Temple Street hospital and the Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute, will the Minister give serious consideration to the appointment of a national post for obesity management? It is in the context of prevention rather than a fire-brigade reaction to situations that have gone far too wrong. We need prevention, and the appointment of such a post would be of huge importance. Is the Minister seriously commending to colleagues an increase in tax on sugary foods and fizzy drinks?
On the last topic, my position is known. We should be travelling in that direction, but I realise there are broader economic factors at play in the considerations of other ministries. I will pursue my goal and I believe it to be the most appropriate direction in which to travel.
The Healthy Ireland initiative is in its early stages and we are working to bring greater cohesiveness to it. We are the first Government to bring in an individual at principal officer level across the Departments of Health, Children and Youth Affairs and Education and Skills with responsibility for obesity. We are serious about tackling this and I am pleased Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin has raised it. If we do not tackle the epidemic of obesity and the resulting diabetes epidemic we see coming down the tracks, we may be the first generation to bury the generation behind us. That is not a legacy any parent wants.
