I am delighted to launching this fantastic week of events in support
of Health and WellBeing being organised by South Dublin County
Council.
As Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, the wellbeing of all
children and young people in Ireland is the daily business of myself
and my department.
However we know that the health and happiness of children requires
joined up thinking and working not by just one government department,
but by all departments, and all those working with and for children.
This is why the launch of our ground-breaking National Policy
Framework for Children called, ‘Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures’,
was so significant.
It gives recognition at the highest level of Government to the
absolute imperative there is to support children and families through
partnership working across government, statutory and non-statutory
service providers, and most importantly with parents and children
themselves.
We are blessed as a country with one of the highest percentages of
children and young people in their population, and getting the best
outcomes for children is of vital importance to the future health and
development of the country as a whole.
A very good example of the need to work in a coherent and joined up
manner is the action we need to take to address childhood obesity.
Childhood Obesity
Childhood obesity has reached epidemic proportions in Europe and
other countries in the developed world, and Ireland has unfortunately
one of the highest levels of these countries.
It is well known that diets excessive in calories combined with
physical inactivity are the key contributors to obesity.
However, the relationships between the various factors which promote
obesity are extremely complex.
In Ireland, The Growing Up in Ireland survey, 2011 found that 1 in 4
children as young as 3 years of age are overweight or obese and these
figures are similar to those found in the Irish survey for the WHO
Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative and The National Children’s
Food Consumption Survey, 2005.
One in five teenagers is overweight or obese according to The
National Teens Survey.
This is of great concern as there are a multitude of short and
long-term effects in not only in childhood but also in later life.
In the short-term, obesity causes high blood pressure, high blood
sugar/insulin levels and abnormal blood fats, which all eventually
contribute to heart disease and stroke.
Type 2 diabetes, which was previously unseen in childhood when
obesity was rare, is now emerging as a serious problem.
To compound these ill-effects, many overweight children grow up to
become obese adults.
The considerable social and psychological effects that are associated
with obesity are especially difficult for a child to bear.
Thus, there is a danger that an overweight child might engage in
harmful behaviours in their efforts to cope with their weight.
We know from the Growing Up in Ireland study, that children who are
overweight or obese are more likely to be bullied in school.
I am delighted that the Government will soon be launching a National
Obesity Policy and Action Plan.
My Department played an important role in helping develop this
through a consultation exercise with children and young people that
will be published as a complimentary report at the same time as the
Action Plan.
Healthy eating
Good nutrition in childhood is especially important as it is a
critical period for growth and development.
As well as helping to prevent disease, eating well in childhood can
also pave the way for good eating habits in adulthood.
Results from surveys of food, nutrition and health in children in
Ireland have shown that eating habits of a significant minority of
children are poor.
Overall, children are not eating enough protective foods such as
fruit and vegetables, or foods high in fibre. Instead they are
consuming too many snacks and drinks high in fat, sugar and salt.
The World Health Organisation recommendation for sugar is that no
more than 10% of daily energy should come from added sugars.
In Ireland, IUNA surveys show that 14.6% of children’s energy comes
from added sugars and 12.4% of teenager’s energy from added sugar,
clearly exceeding the recommended levels.
For this reason I welcome the Government’s recent decision to impose
a sugar tax on fizzy drinks as this has been shown in other countries
to be an effective way of reducing their intake.
Physical activity
Growing Up in Ireland has also shown very clear links between
overweight and obesity and the amount of exercise that children and
young people undertake.
In February 2012, my department established the Local Authority Play
and Recreation Network (LAPRN), a national network which aims to
introduce a more coordinated and interagency approach to achieving
the main goals of the play and recreation policies at both national
and local level.
In January of this year the Government published a National Physical
Activity Plan which included, amongst other things, commitments to
expanding the fantastic Active School Flag scheme and the promoting
joint physical activity by families, and the events you are planning
this week are a brilliant example what can be done to support that,
Helping Parents deal with the problem
We know from the Growing Up in Ireland study that many parents do not
recognise that their children are overweight with 54% of parents of
overweight children and 20% of parents of obese children reporting
that they were ‘about the right’ weight for their height.
This seemed particularly to be the case when the parents were
themselves overweight or obese.
We also know that even where parents are aware of their children’s
weight problem, they struggle with how to effect changes to address
this.
I particularly welcome the multi-media campaign on helping Parents
address overweight in children being led by SafeFood in partnership
with the Department of Health, the HSE and my own Department as it
seeks to help parents with very practical tips and ideas for actions
they can take.
Research undertaken with focus groups in developing this campaign,
showed that many parents really wanted to address healthy eating and
exercise issues within their families, but expressed a demand for
practical solutions that could be undertaken in small, achievable
steps.
We know from research that tackling obesity in childhood requires a
family centred approach that is part of a wide ranging multi-agency
set of initiatives.
By raising the issue of children’s weight status in a high profile
campaign, parents will be encouraged to seek information and support,
validation and reassurance, encouragement and hope.
This campaign balanced the urgency of the issue itself with
encouraging parents to face the issue in a positive, affirming way.
It is excellent to see that information and resources have been made
available to Early Years Providers and to Family Resource Centres and
to healthcare practitioners, a practice which should enable both a
consistency and reinforcement of the key messages.
It is an excellent example of the added value of joined up working
and of listening to parents and what they need to address a complex
issue, and an illustration of the need to share information and
co-operate across organisational boundaries.
Mental Health
I am very pleased to note that your Health and Well Being week
includes events and activities promoting mental as well as physical
health, as we know that good health and wellbeing requires attention
to both the physical and emotional.
We also know from research, the role that physical activity can play
in improving mental health. The National Youth Health Programme is a
partnership operated by the National Youth Council of Ireland with
the Youth Affairs Unit of my Department and the Health Promotion Unit
of the HSE respectively.
The Programme aims to provide a broad-based, flexible health
promotion/education support and training service, including making
healthy choices in relation to mental health and alcohol and
substance misuse, to youth organisations and to all those working
with young people in the non-formal education setting, and provides
another example of the sort of joined-up working that South Dublin
County Council is demonstrating so well in what it has planned this
week.
I know that this week will be a great success and I would like to
commend the Council and its staff for this brilliant initiative.
In Conclusion
Achieving better outcomes for children can only happen if there is a
recognition of the need for all those who impact on their lives to
work together in a smarter, joined up way, which makes better use of
limited resources and is based on what is best for the child
regardless of who is responsible for managing or delivering a
particular intervention or service.
Only by working together can we really achieve the outcomes for our
children and young people that they really deserve.