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“I am very pleased to launch Healthy Lifestyles Have Your Saywhich outlines the views of children and young people on factors that help and hinder them in having a healthy lifestyle”, said Dr Katherine Zappone TD, Minister for Children and Youth Affairs.
The Minister was speaking at the launch of the results of a national consultation of children and young people conducted by her Department and the Department of Health to help inform the development of the new national strategy to combat obesity.
Views were obtained from children aged 8-12 and from teenagers.
Launching the results Minister Zappone added: “There is a growing body of evidence on the benefits of giving children and young people a voice in decisions that affect their lives, including the fact that it leads to more effective polices and services. My Department is strongly committed to the participation by children and young people in decision making and we are proud to be the first country in Europe to have published a National Strategy on Children and Young People’s Participation in Decision-Making (2015–2020).
“The main themes that emerged from children aged 8–12 years include their recognition of the importance of eating more healthy foods and less junk food, getting enough sleep and physical exercise and playing imaginative active games. The children strongly identified smoking as a potential threat to health. Home was identified as a source of love, support and guidance about healthy lifestyles. Schools were also seen as playing an important role in providing information and guidance on healthy lifestyles” stated the Minister.
“Body image and media influences were identified as the main barriers to a healthy lifestyle among teenagers, including the pressure to conform to a particular body image. Exam stress and heavy study workloads were identified as contributing to sedentary and unhealthy lifestyles. Other school-related issues identified by young people include their criticisms of the teaching of social, personal and health education (SPHE) and the lack of choice in physical education, with the few alternatives to team sports it offers and its failure to cater for different interests” added Minister Zappone.
Charlie McCormack, aged 10 and from Talbot National School in Clondalkin, said: “At the consultations we said that most unhealthy foods are not allowed in school and we think this is important. Some kids think that they should get more time to do PE in school”. On the subject of smoking, Charlie stated: “Smoking is very bad for your health. People get lung cancer, black lungs and it makes you look older. If you are young, I wouldn’t advise you to start smoking”. “If a child lives near a park, he might go there every day, but some kids don’t have parks near them and we think this should be changed” added Charlie.
Bisi Ogooluwana, aged 11 and from St Audoen’s National School in Dublin city, said: “At the consultations we said that our families help us to have a healthy life because of how much food they give us and the type of food they give us. We said that sometimes home isn’t safe if a child is left alone. Pets are a big influence because when you bring your pet for a walk, that’s exercising. We can also play sports with our pets”.
Rebecca Kelly, aged 16 from Mayo Comhairle na nÓg noted that body image and the unrealistic expectations girls set for themselves was a top concern. She gave the example of the Kylie Jenner lip challenge. “This affected girls around the world who were sucking on shot glasses to create the look of fuller lips. This can leave long lasting bruising and sores. I know girls who have burst their lips due to the extreme pressure built up” said Rebecca. She stated that PE helps young people, but if they are forced to do it or feel self-conscious, they are less likely to participate. “At the moment there is a huge focus on traditional team sports like GAA or soccer. The need for less team sports and more general physical improvement sports like dance or circuit training was emphasised at the consultations” added Rebecca. “Families were also identified as sources of support. But, a combination of the huge amount of time students spend on homework or study and the fact that many parents are working or separated means that young people have little time to talk to parents about stresses or worries” she said. Rebecca noted that the stigma attached to eating disorders makes it hard for young people to discuss food or body image issues and that the need for more mental health services was emphasised by young people.

Conor Greene, aged 16 and from Monaghan Comhairle na nÓg, said: “A big problem noted at the consultation was that the media pushed unrealistic body image through social media, Instagram and magazines. For teenage boys this image is being bulkier and built and trying to lead this lifestyle can be unhealthy”. Exam stress was also a problem for teenagers. “Exams like the Junior Cert and Leaving Cert make teenagers stressed and unmotivated to lead a healthy and active lifestyle” said Conor. “One of the solutions discussed by the teenagers at the consultation was the opening of nutritional clinics to help teenagers understand how to lead an active, healthy lifestyle in an open and welcoming environment. Another solution mentioned was educating SPHE teachers more around teaching teenagers how to lead an active and healthy lifestyle and informing them about what eating disorders are and how to deal with them” stated Conor.