Calls For Ireland's Obesity Problem To Be Treated As A Disease

Calls for the HSE to treat obesity as a disease

Ireland has the highest rate of obesity in the EU with 1 in 4 adults officially obese - that works out as more than one million adults.

According to an article published by the Irish Heart Foundation, one in five children of the age of five were overweight or obese. The report also found that children from lower income families are more likely to be unhealthily heavy for their height.

Failure to recognise obesity as a disease has cost the HSE €56 million. Ireland is on course to be Europe's fattest country with 1.1 million obese adults. 70% of Irish males are overweight compared to 52% of females. Ireland has one of Europe's highest obesity rates with one in four adults classed as obese and one in four children already overweight.

Currently, obesity treatments are available here but they are not funded by the government.

Professor Helen Heneghan has called on the Department of Health to establish an obesity programme, and to properly invest in it:

"There's been significant weight gain across the Irish population and people need to seek treatment. Professor Heneghan goes on to say that Ireland has the poorest record in treating obesity in Europe and indeed in the western world. Whilst the treatment is available to Irish people it's not correctly funded and proper access is not currently given".