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The Issue
In plain & simple terms, lack of physical activity and poor diet is
killing us. In general, Irish children do not get enough physical activity
and have poor dietary habits - this is a health time-bomb for the next
generation.
The Challenges
There are three main challenges:
- Many children have poor diet and are physically inactive, and
these habits have become culturally ingrained.
- For many young people the environment promotes unhealthy
choices, whereas healthy choices are difficult to access.
- Many children and parents do not understand the health
significance of their lifestyle choices and are not motivated to
change.
Addressing attitudes, culture, behaviour and environment is a
complex matter. For people to adopt healthier lifestyle habits, they
need to be empowered with a good understanding of the issues,
motivated to change behaviour, and they must have access to healthy
choices. Non-Communicable (Chronic) Diseases
Lifestyle-related chronic diseases, such as cancer, heart disease,
stroke, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes, are by far the leading
cause of mortality in the world - and account for 86% of all deaths in
Ireland. According to the World Health
Organisation, better diet and more physical activity are cornerstones for
the prevention of these diseases. These diseases take a
lifetime to develop and have their roots in childhood. Cardiovascular disease, which begins in childhood, causes 40% of all
deaths in Ireland. Lifestyle related cancers are common, with 25% of all
deaths being due to cancer. The incidence of lifestyle-related type
II diabetes in young adults is on the increase. Roughly 30% of
individuals with cancer, cardiovascular disease or diabetes have major
depression as a co-morbidity. 86% of deaths and 77% of disease burden are
now caused by chronic disease. These conditions represent the significant
majority of GP consultations and hospital admissions. High rates of
cardiovascular disease, cancer, type II diabetes and obesity in Ireland
currently lead to:
 | High rates of premature death |
| High rates of morbidity |
| Significant reduction in quality of life |
| Huge economic costs: 75% of healthcare expenditure in Ireland is
allocated to the management of chronic diseases |
| Significant human and societal costs |
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), chronic
non-communicable illnesses are strongly influenced by diet and physical
activity levels. Indeed, according to the International Union Against
Cancer, 43% of cancer cases can be prevented by establishing healthy
lifestyle habits in childhood. Chronic diseases are more prevalent
in the lowest socioeconomic groups, and the lifestyle factors that lead
to these conditions are distributed unevenly across Irish society.
Chronic disease mortality is three times higher in the lowest
occupational classes, as compared with the highest. This gap is
widening, particularly with regard to cancer and cardiovascular disease.
Childhood Obesity
Childhood obesity is emerging as a major public health problem in
Ireland - one quarter of all Irish children are overweight, and
childhood obesity is approaching epidemic proportions. This
represents a health time bomb – obesity is associated with increased
risk for cancer, heart disease and other chronic illnesses. In the
past ten years, the number of children who are significantly overweight
on the island of Ireland has trebled. According to the report of
the National Taskforce on Obesity, the number of overweight and obese
children is probably rising at a rate of over 10,000 per year.
Dietary Habits
The dietary habits of Irish children is poor. Children consume large
amounts of junk food and few children consume adequate amounts of fruit
and vegetables. According to the HBSC 2002 survey, 51% of Irish children
consumed sweets, 37% drank fizzy drinks, 27% consumed crisps, 12% ate
chips and 7% ate hamburgers on a daily basis. In contrast only 19% of
children aged from ten to seventeen years eat fruit more than once per
day. Physical Activity
Levels of physical activity amongst Irish children are poor. Current
physical activity recommendations are that children should achieve 60
minutes of physical activity per day. According to the HBSC 2006 survey
only 55% of children were physically active for 60 minutes or more on at
least 5 days a week. Significant age and gender differences are
also apparent in the physical activity habits of 10-17 year olds. Boys
tend to be more active than girls and participation rates decline with
age, particularly amongst teenage girls. Sedentary lifestyle habits are
common – 55% of Irish Children watch TV for between 2 and 4 hours per
day and 11% watch TV for more than four hours per day.
Children and the Commercial Environment
Irish children are under sustained commercial pressure to make
unhealthy lifestyle choices. The vast majority of foods and drinks
marketed to Irish children are energy-dense and nutrient poor. The same
foods are also and high in fat, sugar and salt. Children are not
helped to deal with commercial pressures to purchase and consume these
foods. Peer pressure often works against healthy choices, and many
children have poor understanding of the issues. Children are not
motivated and inspired to adopt healthy lifestyle habits. Mental
Health & Performance
The full potential of the child for physical growth and mental
development may be compromised due to deficiency (even subclinical) of
micronutrients. Poor diet in children and adolescents causes alterations
to mental and behavioural functions and lack of certain dietary
nutrients contribute to the development of mental disorders.
Diet quality and being physically active have positive effects on both
school performance and self-esteem. Obesity is a risk factor for low
selfesteem. Healthy eating and being physically active has been
demonstrated to improve the mental health and cognitive development of
children.
Children who achieve the recommended levels of physical
activity are less likely to have emotional problems than children who
have a sedentary lifestyle. Longitudinal research in the North-West of
England has demonstrated that children who met recommended levels for
physical activity achieved a significantly lower score on an emotional
problems scale after a one-year follow-up compared to children who did
not undertake recommended levels of physical activity – even after
adjustment for confounding factors such as emotional problems at
baseline.
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Irish
children and teenagers consume large amounts of junk food, which seriously
affects long term health. We outline
the issues and help
parents and children to make up their own minds.
National School children watch an average 3 hours of TV per day. Over the
course of a year, the average Irish child spends more time inactive in front of the
telly than they do in school.
According to the World Health
Organisation, physical inactivity is a major cause of chronic disease. The
couch potato lifestyle is implicated in 2 million deaths per year
across the globe. Regular physical activity reduces the risk of heart
disease, stroke, type II diabetes and certain cancers. |
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