HSE childhood obesity services are sparse or non-existent across majority of country reveals INDI

News Article | 15 Apr 2013

1 in 4 primary school children are overweight or obese but parents have no services

Monday 15th April 2013: At the launch of the INDI’s (Irish Nutrition & Dietetic Institute) inaugural Nourish Children Week in Dublin today, it has been revealed that parents have little or no services to turn to in their community, if their children are overweight or obese. The INDI presented a map of Ireland which showed that just three HSE childhood obesity prevention programmes for those children identified at risk of becoming obese exist across seven counties, and just two group treatment programmes exist, covering three counties. Approximately 1 in 4 (30,000) primary school children in Ireland today are either overweight or obese. The cause of childhood obesity is known to be excessive calorie intake for need and lack of physical activity. The negative impact of childhood obesity includes serious medical problems, poor self-image and quality of life and a greatly increased risk of remaining obese into adulthood.  The INDI mapping exercise of childhood obesity services across the country shows that:

  • There are only three childhood obesity prevention programmes for children identified at risk of becoming obese, operating across seven counties in existence. These are:
    • The ‘Lifestyle’ programme in Longford & Westmeath, Offaly and Laois (for children aged 5-10 years)
    • The ‘Cool Dude’ Food Programme in Dublin South East/ Wicklow (for children aged 8-12 years) 
    • The ‘Bounce – Built to Move’ programme in Galway (for children aged 9 – 12 years) 
       
  • There are only two group intervention programmes for obese children operating across three counties in existence. These are:
    • The ‘Way to Go Kids’ programme in Limerick (for children aged 9 – 14 years)
    • The SCOTT programme in Cork and Kerry (for children aged < 18 years old)
       
  • Temple Street Children’s University Hospital is the only children’s hospital with an intervention programme (called W82GO) for obese children with co-morbidities but it currently has a nine month waiting list. There are no dedicated clinics for obese children at Our Lady’s Hospital Crumlin but just limited access through endocrinology and other specialities. Obese children are seen by a dietitian in the National Children’s Hospital Tallaght but the waiting list is over a year. 

Speaking in advance of the launch Richelle Flanagan, Dietitian and President, INDI said “Our mapping exercise shows that 73% of the country does not have access to a childhood obesity prevention programme for children identified at risk of becoming obese and 88% of the country does not have access to a group intervention programme for obese children. However despite the Departments of Health and Children constantly highlighting the ever increasing rise of childhood obesity, they have not grasped the nettle and devised a national strategy and implementation plan to tackle it.”

The INDI in partnership with Temple Street Children’s University Hospital presented a Vision for Childhood Obesity Policy and Services at the launch of Nourish Children Week today. The key components are as follows:

  • Department of Children and Youth Affairs in partnership with Department of Health and other Government departments to develop a national cross-sectoral strategy for childhood obesity prevention and intervention service.
  • HSE to agree best model for community based childhood obesity prevention and intervention programmes with reference to existing evidence- based best practice programmes (e.g. Up4It, Donegal, Cavan and Monaghan and W82GO, Temple Street Children's University Hospital) and resources need to be identified and allocated for continuation and roll out of agreed model of programmes.
  • Weight and height surveillance to take place at different life stages e.g. ante-natal classes, developmental checks and primary schools etc. with traffic light system to identify at risk (overweight/ obese) people.
  • HSE to ensure that the HSE/ ICGP Weight Management Treatment Algorithm for Children is used across all primary care settings as an integral part of the work of preventing and treating childhood obesity .
  • Paediatric obesity and its management to be included in curricula for all healthcare students (including trainee doctors, physiotherapists and radiographers.) 
  • Research funding agencies (e.g. HRB, SFI) to give priority to childhood obesity research. 
  • Parent education on weaning, spoon feed and importance of physical activity (before and after pregnancy) to be prioritized. 
  • Healthy Eating Flag for schools to be introduced to complement Active Flag system already in existence.
  • Physical Education to be re-instated as part of core curriculum subject in primary and post primary secondary schools along with SPHE and Computer Studies. 
  • Retail sector to remove vending machines from schools.
  • BAI to increase watershed from 6pm to 9pm for advertising of high fat, salt and sugar foods (HFSS) and drinks.

Also speaking at the launch event, Dr Sinead Murphy, Consultant Paediatrician, Temple Street Chiildren’s University Hospital said “The prevalence of overweight and obesity has increased with alarming speed over the past twenty years across the world and is now described as the global epidemic and major public health problem throughout Europe. 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. The Irish Government has no choice but to work to prevent and treat this ‘disease’ and tackle the ‘toxic environment’ that simultaneously restricts activity and stimulates higher calorie intake.”

The Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute (INDI) is the representative body for Dietitians/ Clinical Nutritionists in Ireland. The Institute is committed to integrating nutritional care into our healthcare model, improving the health of the nation through improved dietary habits, and advancing evidence-based practice of medical nutrition therapy and dietetics. Dietitians/ Clinical Nutritionists apply knowledge of food, nutrition and other related disciplines such as biochemistry, physiology and social science to promote health, prevent disease and aid in the management of illness and the practice in educating and assisting weight loss is informed by evidence based interventions and techniques that enable behavioural change to help people to manage their weight. 

Nourish Children Week is a public awareness campaign that seeks to raise awareness and understanding of issues relating to childhood nutrition including childhood obesity, weaning and spoon feeding and nutritional support for children with disabilities. Nourish Children Week is supported by the Irish Cancer Society and Irish Heart Foundation. For further information please see www.indi.ie

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* If you have a question about child nutrition, tune into our live Facebook Q&A onwww.Facebook.com/IrishCancerSociety on Wednesday from 2-4pm *