CHILDREN are starting to drink from as young as 12 years and as many as one-fifth of teenagers in some parts of the country drink at least six times a month, research has found.

JUST one hour’s exercise per day is enough to help young people avoid becoming obese, a conference on children’s health heard yesterday.

One in five teenagers in north Dublin are either overweight or obese, according to research commissioned by the Irish Heart Foundation and the Health Service Executive.

REGULAR exercise and physical activity can significantly reduce the risk of both breast cancer and osteoporosis the keynote speaker told a ‘women in sport’ conference yesterday.