Colm Burke (Fine Gael)
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Recently a medical consultant told me about a parent who had presented with a child who was overweight. They examined the lifestyle of the family and discovered that the child who was aged 16 years and very overweight did not get up until 2 p.m. When the doctor advised what the family needed to do, they simply did not want to hear it. There seems to be a problem where some parents insist that it is everyone else's problem but their own, no matter how much information is put before them. They cannot accept that the issue is not only one of food but also of exercise and lifestyle. Schools are proactive, but parents need to be convinced that they must be involved at an early stage to make sure the problem does not reach the stage where medical advice is required. There seems to be a problem in getting that information through to children and parents.