National survey - Lifestyle taking toll on health

As a nation, the comprehensive survey on the lifestyle of the Irish, published yesterday, gives more than a startling reason to pause and consider exactly what problems we are storing up for ourselves.

Health Minister Micheál Martin announced the results of the largest survey of its kind undertaken here, which shows the country is heading towards obesity.

There is, however, a modicum of consolation in the survey commissioned by the Department of Health and Children and conducted by the Centre for Health Promotion Studies, National University of Galway.

It is that more than half the Irish people felt their health to be excellent, or very good, an increase of 6% since the inaugural survey five years ago, and that the level of smoking overall, surprisingly, has decreased.

While that is to be welcomed, the highest smoking rates are among the younger adult population.

Among school-going children, 19% reported that they are smokers, which is fractionally down on the figure from the last survey.

Taken in conjunction with another survey to be published soon by the Irish Medical Journal, which tracked the country's health during the years of the Celtic Tiger, Irish lifestyles are a health hazard.

The latter concludes there is little doubt that the epidemic of obesity and rapid progression of cancer is the result of the lifestyle many people are now leading.

In 1973, Ireland had the highest life expectancy rate in the EU now it has the lowest.

Emerging from the survey results announced yesterday is the fact that the rates of obesity in this country have risen by 3% to 13% in both men and women since the last survey was conducted in 1998.

One of the reasons is that with busy, modern lifestyles people are finding less and less time for physical activity and that, coupled with poor eating habits, can lead to overweight and obesity.

A contributing factor and one which is hardly surprising is alcohol.

The survey's scientific director at NUI Galway, Professor Cecily Kelleher said that as a nation we are consuming more alcohol than ever before.

A startling face to emerge from the survey is the early age from which alcohol starts to become a problem, with 25% of children reporting having had a drink within the last month.

The survey noted that trends are more marked in the younger age groups, with fewer people in the 10-14 age categories reporting that they had a drink in the last month, compared to the 1998 survey.

Although it is hardly a revelation, it is still frightening to realise that young and vulnerable children are being exposed to the dangers of alcoholism. But it is easy to see why, given that the example comes from adults and the ubiquitous culture of drink permeating all levels of our society.