Diet, lifestyle and body weight in Irish children: findings from Irish Universities Nutrition Alliance national surveys

Abstract

Childhood obesity is an issue of public health concern globally. This review reports on levels of overweight and obesity in Irish children and examines some aspects of their diet and lifestyle proposed to promote or protect against increasing body fatness in children. While there is still some debate with regard to the most appropriate cut-off points to use when assessing body fatness in children, approximately one in five Irish children (aged 2-17 years) have been classified as overweight (including obese) according to two generally accepted approaches. Furthermore, comparison with previous data has shown an increase in mean body weight and BMI over time. On examining dietary patterns for Irish children, there was a noticeable transition from a less energy dense diet in pre-school children to a more energy dense diet in older children and teenagers, associated with a change to less favourable dietary intakes for fibre, fat, fruit and vegetables, confectionery and snacks and sugarsweetened beverages as children got older. A significant proportion of school-aged children and teenagers reported watching more than 2 h television per day (35 % on school-days and 65 % on week-ends) compared with 13 % of pre-school children. For children aged 5-12 years, eating out of the home contributed just 9 % of energy intake but food eaten from outside the home was shown to contribute a higher proportion of energy from fat and to be less fibre-dense than food prepared at home. Improvements in dietary lifestyle are needed to control increasing levels of overweight and obesity in children in Ireland.

Could a Change in Diet Revitalize Children Who Suffer from Unresolved Fatigue?

“…Individual micronutrients including iron [ 10 , 11 ], magnesium [ 12 , 13 ], vitamin B [ 14 ], vitamin C [ 15 ], vitamin E [ 16 , 17 ], and fatty acids [ 18 , 19 ] have been shown to have an effect on fatigue. Clinical studies show that approximately 20% of children under eight do not eat enough fruit and vegetables and do not reach the minimum level of dairy intake (according to European guidelines: EFSA) [ 20 , 21 , 22 ].…”

Development and validation testing of a short nutrition questionnaire to identify dietary risk factors in preschoolers aged 12–36 months

“…Dietary surveys from several countries show that the nutritional intake of many very young children fails to comply with dietary recommendations ( 1 – 4 ). Deficits are most commonly reported in relation to nutrients such as iron and vitamin D ( 5 , 6 ), whereas the early emergence of overweight and obesity, now estimated to affect 40 million preschool children worldwide ( 7 ) has been associated with a shift towards energy-rich, nutrient-poor diets ( 8 ).…”

Nutritional quality of the school‐day diet in Irish children (5–12 years)

“…The higher intakes of vitamin A and dietary fibre, relative to the overall school‐day could be attributed at least partly to the vegetables consumed with this meal. The evening meal serves as an ideal opportunity to increase vegetable consumption in this cohort of children who have previously been shown to have low intakes of fruit and vegetables (Walton et al ., ). Furthermore, the evening meal provides an opportunity for the family to eat together, which is encouraged for protection against childhood obesity (ESPHGAN Committee on Nutrition, ).…”