A Study of the Diet and Lifestyle of Irish School-Aged Children
Keywords:
MedicineAbstract
Motivation/Aim of Study With rates of childhood obesity increasing worldwide, a study into whether Irish schoolchildren adhere to healthy practices for diet and lifestyle was conducted. Methods An extensive literature review was conducted and medical professionals were consulted regarding recommended guidelines for healthy living. Based on the recommended guidelines, a questionnaire was developed which included seven closed questions (four questions relating to diet, two relating to lifestyle and one relating to how these children rate their health). This was circulated to three randomly selected schools in Ireland (one each in Armagh, Dublin and Limerick). 227 children (aged 7-12) were included in the study. Statistical analysis was carried out on the returned surveys (n=227) and the results were compared to those reported in The Irish Health Behaviour in School-aged Children 2006 study. Results In the study’s target population, it was found that the average child is not achieving the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of fruit and vegetable or dairy consumption and is exceeding the RDA for confectionary foods consumption. While the average boy achieved the RDA for exercise, the average girl did not. Conclusion Among the 227 school children surveyed, the majority did not adhere to a healthy diet and lifestyle. The results supported the findings of The Irish Health Behaviour in Schoolaged Children 2006 study. To avoid future health problems the diet and lifestyle of our nation’s children must be improved.
References
2. World Health Organization. Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and
Health. Geneva: WHO Strategy; 2004.
3. Lobstein T, Baur LA. Policies to prevent childhood obesity in the European
Union. Eur J Public Health. 2005; 15(6f):576–579.
4. Currie C, Roberts C, Morgan A, Smith R, Settertobulte W, Samdal O, editors.
Young people’s health in context: Health Behaviour in School-aged Children
(HBSC) study: international report from the 2001/2002 survey. Health Policy for
Children and Adolescents, No. 4. Copenhagen: WHO; 2004.
5. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture. Dietary Guidelines for Americans. 6th ed. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 2005.
6. Strong WB, Malina RM, Blimkie CJR, Daniels SR, Dishman RK, Gutin B, et al.
Evidence based physical activity for school-age youth. J Pediatr. 2005; 146(6):732–
737.
7. McCarthy SN, Gibney MJ, Flynn A, Livingstone MBE. Overweight, obesity
and physical activity levels in Irish adults: evidence from the North/South Ireland
Food Consumption Survey. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society. 2002; 61:3-7.
8. Department of Health and Children. Obesity – The Policy Challenges: The Report of the National Taskforce on Obesity. Ireland: 2005.
9. Mathieson A, Koller T. Addressing the socioeconomic determinants of healthy
eating habits and physical activity levels among adolescents. WHO/HBSC Forum:
World Health Organization; 2006.
10. North K, Emmett P. Multivariate analysis of diet among three-year-old children
and associations with socio-demographic characteristics. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2000;
54(1):73-80.
11. Reilly JJ. Descriptive epidemiology and health consequences of childhood obesity. Best Pract Res Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2005; 19(3):327–341.
12. Shepherd J, Harden A, Rees R, Brunton G, Garcia J, Oliver S, et al. Young People and Healthy Eating: A systematic review of research on barriers and facilitators.
London: EPPI-Centre, Social Science Research Unit, Institute of Education, University of London; 2001.
13.Horne PJ, Hardman CA, Lowe CF, Tapper K, Le Noury J, Madden P, et al. Increasing parental provision and children’s consumption of lunchbox fruit and vegetables in Ireland: the Food Dudes intervention. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2008; Epub ahead
of print. doi:10.1038/ejcn.2008.34
14. BMJ Health Intelligence. Food Dude Healthy Eating Programme [document on
the Internet]. 2007. Available from: http://healthintelligence.bmj.com/.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Authors retain copyright and grant the journal the right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) 4.0 License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work’s authorship and initial publication in this journal.
Provided they are the owners of the copyright to their work, authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal’s published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository, in a journal or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
