Teenagers' lunchboxes packed with junk
The research carried out by the Market Research Bureau of Ireland found that while children under 10 eat nutritious food, a large percentage of teens eat fattening lunches. Researchers found that seven out of 10 children of all ages bring healthy homemade sandwiches to school.
The majority of children are also given fruit, fruit juices and yoghurts whey they leave for school each morning. But parents are giving twice as many savoury snacks like crisps, buns and cakes to teenagers.
The Irish College of General Practitioners (ICGP) said the survey findings were very worrying.
“This is not a good thing because all young people should have a balanced diet. A failure to provide this could lead to obesity problems, especially among boys. The findings fit in with what we’re seeing in family practice,” ICGP spokesperson Dr Brendan O’Shea said.
Some 450 parents were this month asked what they put in their children’s lunchboxes.
Seventy-one percent of mothers and fathers find time to prepare homemade sandwiches, despite work pressures.
Only 17% choose crisps and savoury snacks, while 16% select biscuits, cakes and buns.
More than 10% of parents give their offspring sweets for lunch.
However, when children become teenagers, they eat more snacks.
Parents only give savoury snacks to children under 10 years once every two weeks, while youngsters aged between 10 and 17 get these foods almost twice as often. Twice as many teenagers eat sweets at lunch, compared to children under 10.
Young children are encouraged to eat vegetables and fruit more regularly, Dr O’Shea said.
“It’s good for children to get the right foods when they are young because they will keep eating them later on.
This also reduces the chances of teens of developing diabetes, ” he said.
