We're fat, lazy and drink too much

WE are fatter, lazier, drink more heavily and take more drugs than four years ago — but we feel better than ever.

The second part of the National Health and Lifestyle Survey was published yesterday and the results show a worrying rise in obesity, inactivity and binge drinking, although the number of smokers has dropped.

Surprisingly, 55% of people have a rosy view of their own health, rating it excellent or very good, a rise of 6% since the first survey in 1998.

But one-in-three people say reducing stress is their top priority for improving general health, ahead of having more money or losing weight.

Professor Cecily Kelleher of NUI Galway, who directed the survey, said the perception of good health was probably linked to the State's new sense of affluence, describing this as an encouraging sign.

"However, as a nation, we are still consuming more alcohol and our overall levels of inactivity are a major cause for concern," she said.

She also said there was considerable variation in health levels across different social classes. "There's a clear class gradient and I think it comes down to opportunity and choices. It's far easier for middle class people to go to the gym or buy healthier food."

Rates of obesity in men and women have risen by 3% to 13% in the last four years, and more than a third are overweight.

Prof Kelleher said this was part of a global trend resulting from an imbalance between food intake and activity levels. In Ireland, only 51% exercise regularly and a growing number do not exercise at all 28%, up from 21% in 1998.

Health Minister Michéal Martin said rising rates of obesity were an "unacceptable trend" and the issue needed to be addressed as a top priority.

He has asked the Health Promotion Unit to develop a national programme to encourage greater physical activity amongst the population. Children, in particular, would be a key target group of this initiative.

Mr Martin was also concerned by the increase in binge drinking. Excessive drinking has increased by 6% for men and by 4% for women since 1998, and 14% of adults report drinking five or more times a week, compared to 13% in 1998. The number of men and women who admit using illegal drugs such as cannabis and ecstasy had also increased in the last four years, and 11% of children report trying cannabis in the past 12 months.

On the positive side, the survey found a decline in the number of smokers, from 31% of the population in 1998 to 27% in 2002, and more adults report eating the recommended four-plus pieces of fruit or vegetables daily. Children do not have such healthy eating habits however, with 15% of girls and 16% of boys eating fruit less than once a week, and 15% going to school without breakfast.