Ireland ranked 11th most obese in Europe as rates rocket

RATES of obesity and of being overweight have reached epidemic proportions across Europe, and are still escalating, a new report shows.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) survey ranked Ireland in 11th place out of all European countries for having the most overweight and obese adults, with Turkey at the head of the list and the UK placed fourth.

It has prompted Professor Donal O’Shea, the HSE’s clinical lead for obesity, to call for Ireland to redouble its efforts to beat the killer disease.

The European Regional Obesity Report 2022 shows that none of the 53 European region states, including Ireland, are on track to meet the WHO’s target of halting the rise of obesity by 2025.

In the region as a whole, some 59% of adults and almost one in three children is overweight or living with obesity.

The obesity prevalence for adults in Europe is higher than in any other region except for the Americas.

Obesity increases the risk for many chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including cancers, cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes and respiratory diseases.

Prof O’Shea said: ‘Ireland has a lot in place to try and stem the rising prevalence of obesity.

‘Before Covid-19 we were seeing a levelling off of obesity rates in childhood to around one in four. Unfortunately, the Covid restrictions were a recipe for weight gain in adults and children – and the recent UK schools’ data would say there has been a spike again,’

‘We need to redouble our efforts around changing the environment to make healthier choices easier around food, drink and physical activity. In Ireland we also need to catch up with treatment of obesity,’ he added.