Home and school 'part of obesity problem' - studies

Studies carried out by the Health Service Executive have found that children’s school and home environments are contributing to the growing problem of obesity in Ireland.

The HSE said four studies conducted in schools in Cork and Kerry found that most children undertook less than 40 minutes of actual exercise during weekly PE classes, while 40% of schools banned running in playgrounds.

They also found that one-third of children had a television in their bedroom, while one-third of families ate meals while watching television and most preferred sedentary pastimes rather than activities like walking or swimming

The findings are contained in a report due to be published by the HSE in association with the National Obesity Task Force and the Government’s Health Promotion Unit.

Speaking ahead of the launch, Dr Margaret O’Sullivan, a public health specialist and one of the report’s authors, said Irish society was “feeding” the obesity problem.

“Our obesogenic environment is fuelling major public health issue with increased production and promotion of energy-dense food, increased consumption of larger portions of food, less physical activity build into out daily lives and increased use of cars, etc,” she said.

“The report is significant because it looks behind the statistics of how society is feeding the problem of obesity and clearly indicates that the crisis requires tackling on multiple fronts.”