Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 13 June 2013

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children

Tackling Childhood Obesity: Discussion (Resumed)

10:30 am

Photo of Peter FitzpatrickPeter Fitzpatrick (Louth, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for an excellent presentation. In the past 12 months we have heard what they said in their contributions, but we need action. We all agree there is an urgent need for obesity treatment services for both adults and children who are overweight or obese. The programme at Temple Street children's hospital and the Up4It programme are a great start but we need to find ways of funding those programmes and many others. In my report I will make suggestions on how to find those funds outside the box, so to speak. It is all very well for Deputies to come in here and ask witnesses if €10 million would solve the problem. The bottom line is that the money is not available and therefore we must think outside the box to find ways of raising the money. As rapporteur, I have many suggestions as to how we can do that, and I will consult with the Minister on that. There is little point in members' simply listening to the witnesses' contributions without promising some action. It is important that we realise that the country is bankrupt. We have a major issue with people being obese and overweight. We can talk morning, noon and night about that but we must come up a national plan on how to raise the funds to tackle it. I have many suggestions, and that is the only way to go forward.

We know that 100,000 children between the ages of one and four are obese, while 300,000 children are underweight. The problem begins in childhood. During my election campaign two and a half years ago I visited many estates and, as Deputy Catherine Byrne mentioned, I did not see any children playing football, running or playing tennis in the streets. When the parents opened the door I could see the children inside the house playing on PlayStations or other devices. In my area of Dundalk I met a man who was 29 stone. He asked me for help and I told him I would try my best to help but I asked him what he was doing about his problem. He replied that he was waiting for help but I told him that he had to start helping himself by getting out and doing some exercise. He thought I was being abrupt but I did not mean to insult him. I simply told him that he cannot just press a switch or lift the phone to look for help. I met that man 12 months ago and his weight has since dropped from 29 stone to 21 stone. He lost eight stone in 18 months and the only thing different he did was to get up out of his chair and begin walking in the estate. That man is a father and a grandfather. People think they can just lift up the phone and get help for this problem but they do not realise that they can help themselves.

The information the witnesses have given today is excellent, but it is alarming and people do not want to hear it. They said that 70% of the children they mentioned will become obese. If a child's parents are obese they continue that trend and follow their parents. We must try to get the parents and children to work together on the problem. The witnesses frequently referred to the family. It is important that a child gets into a treatment programme but it is great if they can get help from their mother, father or grandfather also. That is a fantastic support.

The witnesses said that the treatment required costs €1 billion a year. The health budget is €13 billion and €1 billion of that is going on treatment for people who are obese and overweight. The Minister will have to examine that.

The witnesses hit the nail on the head when they said that the food industry and the advertising agencies have a role to play in this area. That will be part of the funding requirement. A total of 88% of these children and their families do not have any treatment programmes available to them. When we get the funding we must organise these programmes but, as the witnesses said, it is important that these programmes are done throughout the country. There is little point in telling people they must attend Temple Street children's hospital or a cross-Border programme. That is an important point, and the Minister realises that. We have fantastic hospitals in Ireland ranging from small to medium to large. It is important that whatever funding we get is given to those hospitals and that clinical treatment programmes are opened up. The witnesses mentioned people being given a diet or health programme. The programmes the witnesses cited have been excellent.

I remember as a nine year old in school being asked to weigh myself, and I was an active child. I note that an average nine year old now weighs 34 kg, which is roughly 5.5 stone. When I was that age I weighed 6 stone and I thought at the time that I was overweight. From the age of nine to 12 I did not gain much more weight. I am now in my fifties and I am lucky that my weight now is the same weight as when I was in my twenties. We can all look for programmes and for this, that and the other to deal with this problem but people must want to address it themselves. When I meet friends they ask me how I keep myself healthy and fit and I tell them that I make sacrifices. If one goes to the pub and drinks four pints of Guinness, one could cut back and have three pints, or cut back on going to the chip shop for chips three or four nights a week. We have all had to cut back to look after ourselves.

Can the witnesses give me their top five ways to combat obesity and being overweight? It is fine to come in here and talk about this, that and the other but we need to keep everything simple. Most of the people who are obese or overweight come from deprived areas. The Government is not going to give any handouts. People need not think they can lift the phone and ask the Government to provide funding of €10 million, €20 million or €30 million to tackle this problem. I give a guarantee that in my report I will set out methods of funding and people will have to pay to help to fund these programmes. If Ireland as a society wants to go forward in tackling this problem, we have to think about ourselves. We must combat the problem of obesity and of being overweight. As I said here from day one, it is important to treat children and adults who are obese and overweight. I ask the witnesses to give me their top five ways to combat obesity and being overweight. The report will be out in two weeks' time.

I was very interested in a few of the statistics the witnesses gave. Their presentations were excellent. The time for talking is over and now we need action.

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