One in five school starters overweight

A public opinion poll, commissioned by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH), supports the notion that a lack of public health awareness is contributing to the growing problem of obesity and mental health across the island.

The poll surveyed more than 350 people in Northern Ireland to gauge perceptions of child health.

It highlighted that just under half of parents don’t know how physically active under 5s should be.

Over a third of parents surveyed said they were too busy to cook healthy food for their children and a third of parents don’t know how big portion sizes should be or what constitutes a balanced diet.

Meanwhile, 57 per cent of the public surveyed linked poverty to the cause of mental ill health in Northern Ireland

RCPCH President Dr Hilary Cass said: “Overall, 27 per cent of children are now classed as overweight or obese in Ireland - a figure which has doubled in the last 15 years.

“In addition to this, nearly 20 per cent of children in the Northern Ireland are now overweight or obese before they start primary school, and judging from the findings from this public poll, more must be done to raise public health awareness.

“Healthy children become healthy adults, so it’s crucial that healthcare professionals communicate basic health and wellbeing information at every point of contact. “That means communicating how much exercise a child should be doing, how big portion sizes should be and the different types of food they should be eating – a simple measure that will help tackle the obesity problem if done by all healthcare professionals.”