Health problems - Smoking and obesity must be tackled

If our children are our future, we could be in real trouble unless we face up to some unpalatable facts. More than a quarter of Irish children are now overweight or obese, double the figure of 15 years ago.

Nine out of ten doctors rate spiraling childhood obesity as this country’s top health priority. In the past two years, two-thirds of doctors report seeing more obese children than they saw two years ago. Not surprisingly, those doctors also report an increase in obesity-related illnesses.

Members of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health Ireland (RCPCH) warn that they are seeing an increase in children with mental health problems over the past couple of years. These include children suffering anxiety and depression, as well as a significant increase in cases of self-harm.