Three hundred thousand children are overweight or obese in Ireland. What’s even more disturbing is the shape of things to come. This figure of 300,000 is expected to grow by 10,000 every year. The problem is not only real, it’s mainstream.
The economic cost of obesity is substantial. It was estimated to be in the region of €370m in 2003 and €4 billion in indirect costs. But the price we pay as a society is much higher. Low self esteem, depression, social isolation, discrimination, personal anguish and feelings of rejection afflict many obese people and it starts with teasing and bullying of obese children.
When 10 year old children were asked to study 3 body shapes and attribute descriptive terms to each - one thin, one muscular and one fat - they described the fat one as lazy, dirty, stupid, ugly, liar and cheat. Studies highlight; adolescent discomfort at the thought of dating or going out with an obese peer, obese men less likely to get married, obese women less likely to go on to third level education, obese people less likely to be hired and if they are hired they’re less likely to be promoted.
We tend to blame people for their fatness (perhaps not the children, we blame their parents) but what about the environment. Wherever children go now they’re presented with more opportunities to eat and fewer opportunities to burn off the calories.
Personal and parental accountability is paramount. There’s no doubt that some parents are unwittingly helping children to become overweight, with no limits on TV viewing, no family activity and a inclination towards high-fat high-calorie foods at home. The Bord Bia Periscope Study highlighted our diminishing cooking skills and the fact that nearly half of us think of cooking as a ‘chore’.
It’s appropriate too, that our Minister of Health responds resolutely to the growing impact of dietary and lifestyle related diseases such as obesity, heart disease, diabetes and certain cancers. People will continue to die from obesity related disease unless we have an integrated cohesive strategy which includes :
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