Ms Grace O'Malley:

I will answer a couple of questions together. The first question relates to parents' reactions. Sometimes we have parents who are utterly upset because they have been trying to manage their children's weight themselves but they do not have effective resources. We all take for granted that we can look after ourselves and we can manage ourselves but a lot of people do not have the emotional resources to do that. Many parents are depressed or have a low IQ. Instead of saying they can do something themselves, we need to empower parents, patients and citizens. We must help a little. We get either parents who are upset or parents who have been banging their heads off the wall trying to encourage their children - who are mostly teenagers - to change. No teenager listens to his or her mother or father. Sometimes coming to a health professional can really help because the child then takes the message on board.

The situation is replicated around the western world. It is not unique to Ireland. We have issues of increasing food poverty. Through evolution and foraging for food our bodies are able to store fat when we need to find food. Now, we have an abundance of calories all around us with unregulated access. Our brains are not able to deal with that. We want this and we want that. We want sugar. That is what human beings do. It is a biological problem.

We do not have areas that are safe for children to play in. Many of the children in our catchment areas cannot go outside because the streets are unsafe, because of needles in the park or because they are teased by people in the neighbourhood. We have a breakdown in society and this is the physiological symptom. Our children are getting obese and depressed and it is a symptom of society as a whole. We have a perfect storm. That is why we all need to work together to make a change.

Fast food and takeaways are an issue. At the moment there is no regulation of the location of such retail units. Often they are very close to schools. We know from international research that if one has takeaways and fast food units close to schools one will have increased obesity in those areas. That is evident. Sugar-sweetened drinks are not recommended for children. The American Academy of Paediatrics does not recommend them for any child under 12, yet they are being shoved down children’s necks through advertising. We support the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland’s recommendations to limit the advertising of non-nutritious foods on children’s television and the Internet. Such advertising must be regulated. We already spend €1 billion on hospitals in this country.