2008 Press Releases
One in four Irish adults is obese
25.11.2008
Two out of three Irish adults are overweight and one in four is obese according to a new report that provides a detailed analysis of the nutritional status and dietary habits of the Irish population.
25.11.2008
Two out of three Irish adults are overweight and one in four is obese according to a new report that provides a detailed analysis of the nutritional status and dietary habits of the Irish population.
The sub-report from the 2007 Survey of Lifestyle, Attitudes and Nutrition (SLÁN) reviews trends in the numbers who are overweight and obese; patterns of fat, proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals intake; and consumption patterns in relation to the food pyramid. It also provides information regarding meal habits, household food expenditure and positive lifestyle behaviours. The nutrition sub-report was funded by the Department of Health and Children, and the analysis was carried out by the UCC Department of Epidemiology and Public Health led by Professor Ivan Perry.
Central obesity (as defined by a large waistline) is associated with a higher risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease and 60% of those surveyed had a waistline that would be defined as obese, with a gender breakdown of 47% men and 70% women.
Health experts recommend that less than 35% of food energy should come from fat. One quarter of respondents (24%) had a fat intake that provided 30%-35% of food energy, while more than half (58%) had a fat intake contributing to more than 35% of food energy. A major concern in the Irish diet is the overconsumption of foods high in fats and sugar, such as oils, butter, cakes and biscuits. On average, SLÁN 2007 respondents consumed 7.3 daily servings of these types of food, which according to the food pyramid should be ‘used sparingly’ (i.e. less than three daily servings).
Dietary salt intake among respondents was excessive with 71% of all respondents exceeding 6g of salt per day, the current target for adults recommended by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (74% of men and 69% of women). One-third of salt intake (34%) from food was derived from cereals, breads and potatoes.
10% of respondents’ skipped breakfast the day before the survey was carried out, but 65% ate at least five or more servings and vegetables per day, with many consuming more that the current recommended target – on average 7.1 daily servings of fruit and vegetables.
Research has shown that there is a huge health benefit to people who adhere to four positive lifestyle behaviours. They are: eating five or more daily servings of fruit and vegetables; being a non-smoker; being a moderate drinker; and being physically active. In SLÁN 2007, 2% of respondents reported doing none of the four positive lifestyle behaviours; 15% reported one positive lifestyle behaviour; 32% reported two positive lifestyle behaviours; just over one third (35%) reported three behaviours while 16% reported four positive lifestyle behaviours.
Those reporting four positive lifestyle behaviours were more likely to report their health as excellent/good or very good. Those reporting no protective factors were five times more likely to rate their health as fair/poor than those with four protective factors.
“There is a need for regular ongoing population surveys that include measurements of height, weight and waist circumference to monitor the evolution of the obesity epidemic in Ireland,” said UCC professor, Ivan Perry. A significant proportion of the excess calories in the Irish diet are derived from the top shelf of the food pyramid, i.e. foods high in fats and sugar. Professor Perry believes that these findings highlight the limitations to date of traditional public health approaches to the promotion of a healthy diet and the need for policy measures to reduce calorie intake and portion sizes of food items from the top shelf. “There is also an urgent need to get the food sector to reduce further the salt content of bread, cereals and other processed foods to lower the dietary salt intake of Irish adults,” he concludes.
SLÁN 2007 is the third study of its kind in Ireland, following previous surveys in 1998 and 2002. The 2007 SLÁN survey involved a nationally representative sample of 10,364 respondents (62% response rate), of whom 9,223 (89%) completed a standard Willett Food Frequency Questionnaire. The survey included additional anthropometric and other physical examination data from two sub-samples: 967 younger adults aged 18-44 years and 1,207 older adults aged 45 years and over.
Picture L-R: Ms Jennifer Lutomski, Professor Ivan Perry and Ms Janas Harrington of the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, UCC, authors of the report.
916RMcD
Central obesity (as defined by a large waistline) is associated with a higher risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease and 60% of those surveyed had a waistline that would be defined as obese, with a gender breakdown of 47% men and 70% women.
Health experts recommend that less than 35% of food energy should come from fat. One quarter of respondents (24%) had a fat intake that provided 30%-35% of food energy, while more than half (58%) had a fat intake contributing to more than 35% of food energy. A major concern in the Irish diet is the overconsumption of foods high in fats and sugar, such as oils, butter, cakes and biscuits. On average, SLÁN 2007 respondents consumed 7.3 daily servings of these types of food, which according to the food pyramid should be ‘used sparingly’ (i.e. less than three daily servings).
Dietary salt intake among respondents was excessive with 71% of all respondents exceeding 6g of salt per day, the current target for adults recommended by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (74% of men and 69% of women). One-third of salt intake (34%) from food was derived from cereals, breads and potatoes.
10% of respondents’ skipped breakfast the day before the survey was carried out, but 65% ate at least five or more servings and vegetables per day, with many consuming more that the current recommended target – on average 7.1 daily servings of fruit and vegetables.
Research has shown that there is a huge health benefit to people who adhere to four positive lifestyle behaviours. They are: eating five or more daily servings of fruit and vegetables; being a non-smoker; being a moderate drinker; and being physically active. In SLÁN 2007, 2% of respondents reported doing none of the four positive lifestyle behaviours; 15% reported one positive lifestyle behaviour; 32% reported two positive lifestyle behaviours; just over one third (35%) reported three behaviours while 16% reported four positive lifestyle behaviours.
Those reporting four positive lifestyle behaviours were more likely to report their health as excellent/good or very good. Those reporting no protective factors were five times more likely to rate their health as fair/poor than those with four protective factors.
“There is a need for regular ongoing population surveys that include measurements of height, weight and waist circumference to monitor the evolution of the obesity epidemic in Ireland,” said UCC professor, Ivan Perry. A significant proportion of the excess calories in the Irish diet are derived from the top shelf of the food pyramid, i.e. foods high in fats and sugar. Professor Perry believes that these findings highlight the limitations to date of traditional public health approaches to the promotion of a healthy diet and the need for policy measures to reduce calorie intake and portion sizes of food items from the top shelf. “There is also an urgent need to get the food sector to reduce further the salt content of bread, cereals and other processed foods to lower the dietary salt intake of Irish adults,” he concludes.
SLÁN 2007 is the third study of its kind in Ireland, following previous surveys in 1998 and 2002. The 2007 SLÁN survey involved a nationally representative sample of 10,364 respondents (62% response rate), of whom 9,223 (89%) completed a standard Willett Food Frequency Questionnaire. The survey included additional anthropometric and other physical examination data from two sub-samples: 967 younger adults aged 18-44 years and 1,207 older adults aged 45 years and over.
Picture L-R: Ms Jennifer Lutomski, Professor Ivan Perry and Ms Janas Harrington of the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, UCC, authors of the report.
916RMcD