Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I acknowledge the work of the joint committee and its staff in producing the report. While I am not on the committee, my lifetime of working with young people means I am very interested in the report. The Minister of State referred to hot spots. His contribution on behalf of the Minister of State, Deputy Catherine Byrne, confirmed the issue in acknowledging the difference for students in DEIS schools as well as for girls. I was glad he acknowledged the role of youth clubs and youth projects and the work they have done. The Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Deputy Zappone, is using funds to make an effort to target areas of great need and to target services for young people outside the normal 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. hours. That is important.

Progress is being made on water. One certainly sees more young people with bottles of water than with fizzy drinks, albeit those continue to be consumed. In the north-east inner city, the programme implementation board, PIB, has introduced a range of fitness activities. There are fitness events taking place at different times of the day in different locations. I acknowledge that work. When I spoke about CAMHS in last week's debate, I pointed out that issues of anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, aggressive behaviour and violence, which presented at second level when I was teaching are now presenting at primary level. While the Minister of State referred to a programme at junior certificate level, it has to start for much younger children. These issues are starting much younger and food and diet have a role to play.

Childhood obesity is almost a contradiction in terms. I think of childhood as a time of activity and outdoor play with a great deal of physical exercise. Perhaps, I am simply being nostalgic as a child of the 1950s and 1960s, but that kind of childhood went on into the 1990s. However, the pace of life is changing and that is affecting children. There are more cars on the street and children are dropped right to the doors of their schools. Increased traffic and on-street parking means parents are less likely to let children go out to play in urban areas. I remember holidays when children would go out at 9 a.m. and return home only at night when they were feeling hungry. That has changed. There is also an increase in the kinds of activity in which people remain seated, whether it involves the Xbox, iPad or whatever. There is more of that now, which is also a contributing factor. There is also a fear factor. Parents do not want to let their children out unsupervised to run around the streets. All of that plays into what we see with obesity.

There has also been a change of atmosphere and activity levels in schools and on playgrounds. We had a visiting delegation from a Nordic country at one of the primary schools in Dublin Central. Its members were astounded that the children in that primary school could not run, climb trees or take part in any kind of physical activity during break time. That brings us to the issues of litigation and insurance claims, to which the Minister of State referred. I am from a generation when such claims simply were not made. A long time ago as a child, I broke both arms, fortunately not at the same time. It was my fault and my parents knew that. It was nobody else's fault and there was no question of an insurance claim.

We are also seeing changes in food and the way disposable income is being spent on fast food from takeaway outlets. While busy lives mean an increase in the consumption of that kind of food, it is horrible to see young children coming out of the local supermarket with a breakfast roll and a can of Coke in the morning.

This is the context in which we are looking at childhood obesity. It is not possible to change it without looking at all of the issues. That brings us to the idea of prevention rather than reaction and that means awareness raising. Some of my voluntary work has involved addiction prevention and education. What has come across in our engagement with young people in the north inner city is that one cannot talk about drugs and alcohol in a vacuum. One has to bring in all of the other aspects, including physical and mental health. That brings in body image and food. Young people can be challenged to look at food and what they are eating. They can be challenged to ask were it is coming from. Home economics is an important school subject. I acknowledge the demands on the curriculum, but even a basic form of home economics and food awareness would be useful. Schools have a role to play. We have a new wellness programme in schools and that could be a venue for this type of education. I cannot understand, however, how matches played by school teams are not included in the physical activity part of the programme. Sports day is included, which I suppose is because it includes everyone. Team sports must be built in and recognised within the wellness programme.

Parents have an obvious role and awareness must be built with them. I heard one of our famous restaurant chefs on the radio yesterday discussing the need for a change in diet to one based to a greater extent on plants and fruit. He made the point that a recent shop consisting of €19 worth of fruit and vegetables produced enough meals for nine days. A change of attitude can be brought about. It was frightening to hear some of the statistics the Minister of State cited. He said that, by 2030, Ireland was scheduled to have one of the highest obesity rates in Europe.

That is ironic because it is at a time when children in other countries are starving and dying as a result of hunger and malnutrition.

Alongside obesity we have other illnesses associated with food, including anorexia and bulimia. It is part of the big picture regarding how people feel about themselves and the need to change this. We also know about the economic costs and what could be saved if we can tackle this. It is about lifestyle choices, behaviour and patterns. Thinking back to when I was a teacher, the children who were overweight and obese were targets for bullying but good looking children and children who were doing a lot of activity were equally so. It is a strange situation.

There is a need for an holistic approach. We are speaking about quality of life. It is about making choices and knowing how to make healthy choices. It is also about knowing the consequences of making unhealthy choices. This applies to drugs, alcohol, food, exercise, gambling and relationships, including sexual relationships. The joined-up thinking also involves dealing with all of these issues young people face and giving them the critical awareness and skills to make healthy choices.

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