Written answers

Wednesday, 26 September 2012

Department of Children and Youth Affairs

Childhood Obesity

Photo of Bernard DurkanBernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if she is conscious of the need to encourage greater awareness of health amongst children and young adults with particular reference to addressing such issues as obesity; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40883/12]

Photo of Frances FitzgeraldFrances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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Tackling obesity among children and young people requires a cross-departmental, cross-agency and multi-faceted response and health promotion and greater awareness is central to this response. All relevant Government Departments and Agencies, including my own, have a role.

My Department has a key leadership role to play in this area through overseeing the on-going implementation of the national play and recreation polices; and over the past few years, my Department has made significant investments in play and recreational facilities and, as part of this ongoing commitment, I recently launched the Local Authority Play and Recreation Network. This Network brings together relevant staff from the local authority sector who are involved in the provision of play and recreation services to local communities to share best practice information and to encourage mutual cooperation where relevant.

The Department of Health has established Special Action Group on Obesity, which includes a range of relevant stakeholders, including an official from my Department. This Group focuses on a specific range of measures including Healthy Eating Guidelines, restricting the marketing of food and drink high in fat, sugar or salt to children, nutritional labelling, calorie posting on restaurant menus, the detection and treatment of obesity and the promotion of physical exercise.

Other initiatives to increase awareness include: the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine’s ‘Food Dude Programme’, the Department of Education and Skills ‘Active School Flag Campaign’ and the Health Services Executive ‘National Physical Activity Guidelines’.

The on-going findings in this area to emerge from my Department’s longitudinal study, Growing Up Ireland will help us to identify where we need to continue focussing our efforts.

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