Obesity Obesity is a serious problem facing the world today. Approximately two-thirds of Irish adults and one-fifth of Irish children are overweight or obese. Studies have suggested that children who are obese are more likely to become obese adults.
Obesity can be caused by: Overeating. Consuming food and drink that is high in fat and sugar. Lack of regular physical activity.
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Obesity can lead to serious health problems including: Heart disease and stroke. Diabetes. Arthritis.
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Some cancers, especially cancer of the uterus, breast and colon.
Governments have proposed actions to help tackle the growing problem of obesity including: Introducing a tax on high fat and sugary foods and drinks – ‘Fat tax’. Giving nutritional information on the front packaging of food. Reducing the advertisement of junk food directed at children. Providing school-based education about nutrition and physical exercise.
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Case Study Ireland’s obesity problem will be worse than cholera or AIDS for our health service, professor warns
World Health Organisation statistics show we could be Europe’s fattest country by 2030. ‘Why are we leading the way?’ asks Professor Dónal O’Shea, one of Ireland’s foremost experts on obesity. ‘I think we have a particular environment where physical activity has gone off a cliff edge, particularly for adolescents and adolescent girls, and we also have an environment of unregulated poisoning of our kids with high fat, high salt, high sugar foods. So you’ve got the perfect storm. ‘We’re on course to be the fattest country in Europe by 2030. We must pay attention and we must take action,’ he urged. ‘We have an environment where kids leave school for lunch and they go to a garage
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Fig. 3 Awareness of healthy eating and more physical activity is needed to stop obesity.
