Call for crackdown on junk food ads aimed at children

Ads marketing fatty foods to young people must be urgently restricted to tackle the growing problem of childhood obesity, it was claimed today.

The warning comes after a survey revealed the number of overweight teenagers was on the rise, with obesity in boys up 14% and in girls 2% since 1990.

The Irish Heart Foundation said that faced with the scale of the health problem immediate government action was needed.

“With one in five Irish adolescents and children now overweight or obese, we are already seeing increasing levels of diabetes and a real possibility of increasing levels of heart disease at a younger age resulting in a wide range of social, economic and healthcare problems,” the Foundation’s Chief Executive Michael O’Shea said.

“Faced with the scale of this public health problem – doing nothing is not an option.

“Many public health organisations across the world are calling for action on marketing of unhealthy foods to children.

“An EU-wide consultation with stakeholders in 20 countries, including Ireland, established that ’controls on food and drink advertising to children’ was in the top 10 policy options to combat obesity and should be implemented as a priority,” he said.

The survey by food research body RELAY quizzed 450 teenagers aged between 13 and 17 from schools nationwide during 2005 and 2006.

It was carried out by researchers at University College Dublin (UCD) and University College Cork (UCC).

The findings revealed that one in three teenagers do not eat fruit, four in five are not getting enough fibre and that levels of obesity in boys since 1990 jumped from 6% to 19% and from 15% to 17% in girls.

It also found levels of calcium, iron and vitamins A and D, were low, while the majority of meat eaten was processed and not fresh.

Daily intake of fizzy drinks averaged around one and a half glasses, while bottled water was about half a glass.

On the plus side though the study found the number of girls and boys taking part in physical activity was relatively high.

The Irish Heart Foundation and National Heart Alliance (NHA) have already called for a national policy on the marketing of unhealthy foods to children, including a ban on TV advertising.

Commenting on the findings, UCD Professor Michael Gibney said: “It is encouraging that four out of five teens have a healthy body weight.

“ However, the increase in overweight and obesity in this age group highlights the need to identify ways to help teenagers to develop healthy eating and physical activity habits.”

Minister for Food Mary Coughlan said the survey provided families with up-to-date information for planning balanced, healthy diets.

“It is the first comprehensive scientific evaluation of dietary intake in teenagers in Ireland and provides direction for the dietary strategies that need to be established to prevent obesity in Irish teenagers,” she said.