Tipping the scales: Child obesity levels triple

OBESITY levels in children have tripled in just over a decade, with the number of those overweight doubling in the same period, a nationwide survey of 20,000 students has found.

The staggering increase in the number of overweight children is recorded in the preliminary findings of one of the most extensive all-island surveys which set out to look at oral health.

As many as 20,000 school children - junior infants, second class, sixth class and junior certs - had their weight and height measured during a visit to the dentist. Dr Helen Whelton, a member of the National Taskforce on Obesity, and principal investigator in the study, said they were stunned by the outcome.