Ireland's weight problem is getting worse, with one in five Irish teenagers now either overweight or obese, new research has found.
The Irish National Teens' Food Survey, released yesterday, shows the combined proportion of overweight and obese teenage boys rose from 6 per cent in 1990 to 19 per cent by 2006, and from 15 per cent to 17 per cent among teenage girls in the same period.
The survey also highlights low intakes of fruit and vegetables, finding that one in three teenagers did not consume fruit.
The survey of 450 teenagers from across the State aged 13-17 was carried out by the Irish Universities Nutrition Alliance at UCD and UCC and was funded by the Department of Agriculture and Food and the Food Safety Authority of Ireland.
It showed that four out of five teenagers were not getting enough dietary fibre. Three-quarters of teenage girls surveyed were found to have a diet inadequate in iron and one-quarter of boys surveyed were not getting enough vitamin A. While most of the teenagers who compiled a diary of their eating habits for the survey ate meat, the fat intake was too high in over 50 per cent of those surveyed. Overall, the daily salt intake was higher than the recommended levels and was consumed in processed meats and bread, the survey found.
The survey also found that the average milk consumption was low and that milk was generally consumed in a full-fat variety. Consumption of cheese and yoghurt was low, averaging 11g per day for cheese and 22g for yoghurt.
However, the daily intake of carbonated drinks was high and only a small percentage of teenagers surveyed used low-fat or diet soft drinks. Eighty-two per cent of those surveyed consumed carbonated drinks daily - equal to one and a half glasses of sugary drinks - whereas 42 per cent had a daily intake of a bottle of water, equal to a half a glass.
The survey also looked at teenage lifestyles and found that while 67 per cent of males played field sports and 76 per cent of girls walked for pleasure, they also watched a lot of television.
While TV viewing times for many teenagers was high on weekdays and at weekends, one in three spent more than two hours watching TV on weekdays and two in three spent more than two hours at the weekend.
Research showed that weekend TV and computer game use was high among all teenagers, but that those who were obese and overweight spent longer engaged in these activities.
The survey also confirmed the findings of international studies that teenagers with overweight or obese parents were more likely to be overweight or obese themselves. Almost 75 per cent of parents of overweight teens and one-third of parents of obese teens thought their children's weight was fine and only 56 per cent of parents of obese teens said their children's weight was not right for their age or height.
It also found that one in three had tried to lose weight - 50 per cent of girls surveyed and 25 per cent of boys surveyed.