More than a quarter of nine-year-olds overweight, says study

More than a quarter of nine-year-olds in Ireland are overweight, and 7% of those are obese, a study has found today.

The ESRI's 'Growing Up In Ireland' report also found that girls are significantly more likely to be overweight than boys, and parents are poor at recognising weight problems.

The report stated that low levels of exercise and long hours watching TV and playing video games are putting children at risk.

It found that children from disadvantaged areas and families are more likely to be effected.

“Poorer areas tend to have more takeaways and they have fewer supermarkets in them,” said the report’s author, Professor Richard Layte of the ESRI.

“So poorer people, living in disadvantaged areas, tend to have less access to good food, so they have to travel further to get it.

“They also have the disadvantage then of having less money in the first place, so they’re less able to afford these things.”