One third of Ireland’s population will be obese by 2025

A new survey looking at Ireland's obesity epidemic has revealed that almost half the population believe education in schools is the key to tackling the nationwide problem.

A new survey has revealed that 48 percent of Irish people believe the best way to tackle Ireland's rising obesity levels is through school education. The research, commissioned by life assurance provider Royal London, asked 1,000 people throughout the country their views on how they think Ireland’s expanding waist lines should be addressed. The results show a surprising split in opinion between genders and age groups as to what people consider to be the most effective approach. More women (36 percent) than men (24 percent), believe it’s up to an individual themselves to take personal responsibility if obesity is a health issue they face - with this view being most prevalent (46 percent) amongst those aged over 55. According to a study by The Lancet medical journal, a quarter of Ireland’s population is classified as obese and this is expected to rise to over a third by 2025. These stark figures prompted the Government into action last year with Minister for Health, Simon Harris, declaring obesity to be a public health priority. The 2016 Obesity Policy and Action Plan was published with a view to helping Irish people achieve better health and, in particular, to reduce the number of people who are overweight or obese. Speaking about the findings Sara Murphy, of Royal London, says that the much-talked about sugar-tax option proved unpopular with respondents:

"Heath-focused lifestyles appears to be very popular in Ireland today, from the booming gym and personal training industries, to the popularity of 'healthy living' advocates, like TV personalities and bloggers, so it’s hard to believe that now only 40 percent of Irish people have a healthy weight. But we simply cannot ignore the stats which show, in no uncertain terms, that obesity levels are firmly on the rise in Ireland." Education is the clear front-runner when it comes to respondents' agreement as to what is the first step towards tackling obesity. The rationale behind this response is easy to understand; by teaching children how to live a healthy lifestyle from a young age they are more likely to form good habits early on and to have healthier lifestyles as adults. Interestingly, the so called sugar-tax option isn’t a popular one, with just 15 percent of respondents seeing the introduction of taxes on fast food and sugary snacks as the way forward."

Further survey analysis revealed that younger adults aged 18-34 (14 percent) were most likely to favour  an increase in health services funding to tackle obesity once it occurs, compared with just 4 percent of those aged 35-54 and 2 percent of over 55’s.