Time is running out to act on the crisis of childhood obesity

THERE is no way to say this gently – not only are we putting on too much weight, our children are too. This week, the World Health Organization placed us 11th in Europe on the overweight and obese league table for the general population – but a gravely worrying ninth for childhood obesity.

Nor does that tell the whole story, because the figures relate to 2016 and take no account of the impact of the pandemic and lockdowns that curtailed children’s sport and exercise.

HSE clinical lead on obesity Professor Donal O’Shea believes Ireland echoes the UK experience, where studies have shown a 25% increase in childhood obesity during the Covid crisis.

It’s not a surprise. Children at home all day very likely had much greater access to sugary, fatty treats and, understandably, parents probably were more likely to indulge them as they tried to balance home school and working from home too.

In any weight management programme, exercise accounts for maybe 25% of the remedy, while diet is the real issue. You can burn off only so many calories.

Unless we act decisively, we are sleepwalking into the start of a second wave of the obesity crisis. This is going to lead in the future to spikes in diabetes, coronary heart disease, joint pain, dementia and low self-esteem.

Starkly, as we also saw in the pandemic, carrying those extra kilograms was one of the underlying issues that became a factor in survival of the virus, with poorer outcomes reported among those who contracted Covid while overweight. And it is also a factor when undergoing any surgery even in the post-pandemic world.

A holistic approach is now required. Nutrition and how to cook, should be a compulsory part of the school curriculum. We also have to make it easier for parents by offering greater supports.

When both are working outside the home, it is entirely understandable that convenience often wins out when it comes to dinner for the family, leading to poorer food choices for all.

Urban planning must take leisure facilities into account. When we look at all the build-to-rent apartment blocks in our cities, we have to remember they’re not going to be inhabited solely by young, cycling professionals – they will be family homes too, but seldom come with access to parks or playing fields and certainly don’t offer the opportunity for playing on the street that kept previous generations happier and healthier.

We have a short window of opportunity to get this right. Habits laid down in childhood can last a lifetime, habits that can be good ones, or bad.

How we proceed now will determine that choice and, crucially, will either gift our children long, healthy lives or leave them struggling to ward off entirely avoidable and debilitating conditions as they age.

WELCOME HOME, PRESIDENT BIDEN

JOE BIDEN is no stranger to these shores and has visited many times as a senator and as vice-president.

Now, he is set to return as President of the United States, on a State visit in October, a timely acknowledgment of the special relationship between our two countries and the family ties, including President Biden’s own ancestors, that bind us all.

Twenty-three of the 46 US presidents to date had at least some Irish blood.

Now, like his predecessors with roots here who have visited – John F Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama – President Biden will arrive to the céad míle fáilte only Ireland can offer to its far-flung sons and daughters.