Obesity epidemic puts strain on doctors

A QUARTER of the population is obese but doctors and nurses are not getting enough support in tackling the problem, an independent GP group has claimed.

Chairman of GP Now (National Organisation for Weight Control), Dr John O’Riordan, said some doctors were so overwhelmed by the obesity problem in their area that they found it easier not to get involved because the support structures they needed were not there.

Dr O’Riordan, who was the Irish College of General Practitioners (ICGP) representative on the National Taskforce on Obesity, said more must be done across all government departments to prevent the exponential rise in obesity.