Source: irishtimes.com<\/p>\n
Poor mental health among children who are overweight or obese is \u201cmore of a problem than we even realise\u201d, the HSE\u2019s clinical lead on obesity has said.<\/p>\n
Prof Donal O\u2019Shea said that while there is an acknowledgement of the physical effects of childhood obesity, the mental health issues associated with it are \u201cmassive\u201d, but often overlooked.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re seeing young people with high blood pressure, but I think the biggest implication of overweight and obesity in childhood is around esteem,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cChildren are experiencing increasingly low self-esteem and low image, and then they\u2019re more likely to descend into a cycle of not wanting to go out, not playing.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added: \u201cMental health is multifactorial but there is huge negative imaging around obesity. Kids who are significantly obese feel judged, feel the negative vibes coming at them. It\u2019s a negative cycle.\u201d<\/p>\n
Prof O\u2019Shea was speaking at the launch of the Irish Heart Foundation\u2019s childhood obesity manifesto, which calls for a 9pm watershed to be applied to advertisements relating to junk food and for a confectionery tax to be imposed on foods with a high sugar content.<\/p>\n
The document also calls for restrictions on price promotions being placed at checkouts and at the end of aisles, in a bid to reduce the sale of junk products.<\/p>\n
A survey conducted on behalf of the charity found that 71 per cent of the public would support a ban on the marketing and promotion of unhealthy food and drinks to children.<\/p>\n
Some 64 per cent would support extending the sugar-sweetened drinks tax to other products with a high sugar content, rising to 82 per cent if the proceeds are spent on subsidies to make fruit and vegetables cheaper.<\/p>\n
Chris Macey, head of advocacy at the Irish Heart Foundation, said environmental factors, such as cost and availability, are the main barriers to addressing obesity in children.<\/p>\n
\u201cResearch has shown that an unhealthy calorie can be up to 10 times cheaper than a healthy calorie. A tax on confectionery would be a way to balance that,\u201d Mr Macey said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we need is a mandatory programme that is underpinned by taxes that will incentivise businesses to remove sugar from their products. It\u2019s on the same basis as the sugary drinks. If they\u2019re formulated below a certain level then they won\u2019t have to pay the tax.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added that tackling confectionery is a \u201cgood place to start\u201d in the fight against obesity because they are \u201cnon-essential products and they are contributing to the problem in a significant way\u201d.<\/p>\n
Speaking at the same event, consultant endocrinologist Prof Francis Finucane said drastic action is required to protect children\u2019s health.<\/p>\n
\u201cA crucial element of this is restricting the ultra-processed food industry\u2019s ability to promote over-consumption in pursuit of profit, including through marketing restrictions, taxation and mandatory reformulation,\u201d Prof Finucane said.<\/p>\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2767,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[451,273,51,208],"class_list":["post-2766","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-weight-loss-gain","tag-children","tag-health","tag-obesity","tag-overweight"],"yoast_head":"\n