One in five primary school children are obese or overweight, according to HSE survey

24.6% of children surveyed in disadvantaged schools were obese or overweight, while that figure for other schools was 15%. File image.

One in every five Irish primary school children are overweight or obese, according to a survey conducted by the HSE.

The survey, which was carried out as part of the World Health Organisation and European Union Child Obesity Surveillance Initiative, found that girls in fourth to sixth class were more likely to be obese or overweight than any other age and gender group.