Obesity a growing problem for Irish fathers-to-be

ONE in six Irish fathers-to-be are obese, and fat fathers are up to four times more likely to have overweight children, new research has found.

The Coombe Women & Infants University Hospital has called for fathers to take better care of their health by exercising, eating healthily and stopping smoking.

Research by Dr Ross Kelly and his colleagues at the UCD Centre for Human Reproduction in the Coombe found that one in six fathers-to-be in Ireland were obese. Half were overweight and were likely to become obese as their children grew up.