One quarter of all three year olds are overweight

A QUARTER of all three-year-old children are overweight, with a staggering 6% of those obese.

Prof James Williams, principal investigator and co-director of Growing Up in Ireland, said he was surprised by the level of overweight and obesity among young children.

“Some 25% of our children have an elevated body mass index (BMI) and there is evidence this is related to social gradient and social class,” he said.