Survey: 70% of children driven to school

Seven in 10 children are driven to school despite living less than a mile away, a new report has found.

The survey also showed fewer than 1% of youngsters cycle to school.

As obesity grows among children, specialists warn it must be tackled through regular exercise and healthy eating.

“While most Irish children are normal weight, an increasing minority – 20% of boys and 25% of girls – are overweight or obese,” said nutrition expert Professor Albert Flynn.

“Children need to be active for at least one hour, most days of the week.”

The report, commissioned by SuperValu, focused on the patterns of physical activity amongst five to 12-year-old children.

It found boys are more active during and after school than girls.

Over 80% of children admitted watching more than one hour of television each day during the school week, with 33% watching more than three hours every Saturday and Sunday.

The research also showed more than half of obese children watched television for more than two hours per day.

The Irish Universities Nutritional Alliance (IUNA) Survey was conducted over one year among 594 school children.

Prof Flynn, of IUNA and University College Cork, added: “This overweight and obesity epidemic is a multi-faceted problem and although the solution is complex, at a fundamental level it needs to be tackled through a combination of both healthy eating habits coupled with a programme of regular physical activity for children.”