An estimated 300,000 Irish children are overweight or obese and unless drastic action is taken this figure will rise by another 10,000 every year, the national task force on obesity has warned.
In a report published yesterday it called for "joined-up thinking" to halt an "epidemic" which is also affecting adults in huge numbers. Some 39 per cent of Irish adults are overweight and 18 per cent are obese, it says.
Approximately 2,000 people die prematurely every year as a result of obesity at an estimated cost to the economy of €4 billion, it adds.
"The prevalence of overweight and obesity has increased with alarming speed over the past 20 years. It has recently been described by the World Health Organisation as a global epidemic. In the year 2000 more than 300 million people worldwide were obese and it is now projected that by 2025 up to half the population of the United States will be obese if current trends are maintained. The disease is now a major public health problem throughout Europe," the report states.
"Most worrying of all is the fact that childhood obesity has reached epidemic proportions in Europe, with body weight now the most prevalent childhood disease," it adds.
A recent All-Ireland study found over a quarter of four-year-olds, for example, were overweight and 7 per cent of them were obese.
The report says the Government must now look at the totality of policies that influence the type and supply of food that we eat and the range and quality of opportunities that are available to citizens to engage in physical exercise.
While acknowledging that people have a right to choose to eat what they want, it says "many forces are actively impeding change for those well aware of the potential health and well-being consequences to themselves of overweight and obesity" and these need to be tackled.
Factors that have influenced the rising obesity levels, it says, are sedentary lifestyles, the fact that people eat a high proportion of food prepared outside the home because of pressure on time and having to commute long distances to work, and that portion sizes are getting larger.
Children are being driven to school and spend more time watching TV, and "dangerous neighbourhoods" are discouraging people from walking dogs, pushing buggies, or permitting children to play outdoors, it says.
Energy intakes, it says, were higher overall in 1948 but people were more active then and cars weren't widely used.
The task force, set up in March 2004 by former health minister Micheál Martin, makes some 93 recommendations having considered submissions from over 300 groups and individuals. It says the Taoiseach's office must ensure a proactive approach is taken across all Government departments, agencies and public bodies to address the growing obesity problem, which is costing millions to treat. "A figure of approximately €30 million has been estimated for in-patient costs alone in 2003 for a number of Irish hospitals."
It says adults require 45-60 minutes of moderate activity a day to prevent becoming overweight or obese and children should have at least 60 minutes. To achieve this it recommends that walking and cycle lanes be built on all new roads and that all schools should have a minimum of two hours of physical education a week.
It also says advertising of foods high in fat need to be looked at as "aggressive marketing" of such foods to young children could increase their risk of becoming obese.
Some €132 million was spent on advertising food and drink in Ireland in 2003.
Furthermore, it calls on schools to have policies that promote healthy eating and activity. It wants a ban on vending machines in primary schools and a clear code of practice in relation to the content of vending machines in secondary schools. The support of the food industry is vital, it says.
It also urges employers to play their part by presenting employees with opportunities during work hours to partake in physical activity. These might include providing reduced rates for gym membership, incentives for cycling or walking to work, and access to showers and changing facilities at work.
People are regarded as obese if their body mass index (BMI) is over 30. One's BMI can be calculated by dividing one's weight (in kilos) by the square of one's height (in metres and centimetres).