Be healthy, not Homer
Research published by the Health Promotion Unit has found that while young people are well-informed about the dangers of obesity, they fail to react to the issue and, given the option, make unhealthy food choices.
Homer Simpson - who eats high-fat food and snacks and uses a stick to change TV stations from his couch - was defined by the young people surveyed as an unhealthy person.
Now the State is to lead the way in tackling obesity in young people next year, a problem now considered to be too great for parents alone to deal with.
Junior Health Minister Sean Power said an additional €3 million would be provided next year to promote healthy eating and physical activity among under-18s.
Mr Power also launched a national Take 5 Steps to a Healthier You campaign that will run until the end of this month to encourage young people to consume five pieces of fruit and/or vegetables a day.
The minister said it was clear following the publication of the report of the National Task Force on Obesity earlier this year that immediate action was required on the problem of obesity in Ireland.
Mr Power said the new national nutrition policy would target young people and concentrate on actions needed to reduce both obesity and food poverty.
National nutrition policy advisor Ursula O’Dwyer said the State had to make it as easy as possible for parents to stop children from becoming obese and increasing their chances of developing Type 2 diabetes.
Mr Power said that despite health risks associated with obesity, many children were still being served a staple diet of processed food.
“I recognise that there is a place for quick, convenient foods but that does not necessarily mean having to make unhealthy choices,” he said.
The focused group studies carried out in Dublin, Cork and Galway, and conducted by Lansdowne Market with young people aged between 11 and 14, also found an alarming disparity in activity levels between boys and girls.
While boys in the age group were regularly active and involved in games and sport, girls in the 13 to 14 age group showed little, if any, interest in any form of activity.
Mr Power said being active was considered “not cool” by girls once they entered their teens and the Department of Health and Children, together with Education and Science must work to help young girls maintain their physical activity patterns into post-primary school.
He also said parents had a huge responsibility to their children because they were the driving force in the formation of early eating habits.
The Government campaign will be promoted with leaflets and posters, materials for schools, workplaces and health professionals, national promotional competitions as well as other localised events.
A dedicated campaign website (www.healthysteps.ie) will be online from today.
SCIENTISTS in Britain studying the eating habits of TV characters estimate Homer Simpson consumes 130g of fat per day. It varies from person to person but nutritionists recommend limiting your daily fat intake to 20%-35% of your daily calories.
Homer’s food intake: With his couch-potato lifestyle and ability to munch a dozen doughnuts, pizzas, Krusty burgers, pork chops and beer in one go, Homer should really be heading for his death bed.
He also has his own experiment called “out of this world moon waffles”, consisting of waffle batter, caramel candy and “liquid smoke” food flavouring, baked and wrapped around an entire stick of butter.
When Homer Simpson sees a piece of cake sitting on the floor, he doesn’t throw it in the bin and eat a carrot. Instead Homer licks his lips and says: “Mmmmm, floor cake.”
Parents’ view: Nearly two-thirds of 2,000 parents said Homer Simpson promoted an unhealthy lifestyle.
The British poll revealed more than half of parents admitted to succumbing to “pester-power” by buying children their favourite foods. But 57% said they did so because they feared confrontation.
Expert view: His cholesterol levels must be sky-high. Throw in his weight and you have an obesity problem that will affect heart, lungs, back and possibly lead to diabetes.
The strong must protect the sweet.
“All right, brain, I don’t like you and you don’t like me, so let’s just do this and I’ll get back to killing you with beer.”
Give me liberty or... OOOooo... A jelly donut!
If God didn't want us to eat in church, he would have made gluttony a sin.
When will I learn? The answer to life’s problems aren’t at the bottom of a bottle, they’re on TV!
You don't win friends with salad.
All my life I’ve been an obese man trapped inside a fat man’s body.
Dear Lord, thank you for this microwave bounty, even though we don’t deserve it.
I wonder where Bart is, his dinner’s getting all cold, and eaten.
Hallucinations again? I probably shouldn’t have eaten that packet of powdered gravy I found in the parking lot.
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