1 in 10 Irish kids obese; FEARS OVER SOARING HEART DISEASE.

Byline: SARAH BARDON

IRELAND has among the highest rates of fat children in the world - with one in 10 classified as obese, it emerged yesterday.

Damning figures revealed 10% of children aged five to 12 are obese, while last year 19% of teenage boys were found to be overweight compared to six per cent in 1990.

Professor of Paediatrics at Trinity College Dublin Hilary Hoey said Irish kids are at risk of developing heart disease and cancer later in life.

She added: "Recent research has shown that Ireland has one of the highest rates of childhood obesity in the world.

"It is well established that children who are obese are at a higher risk of developing cardiovascular, metabolic and musculoskeletal complications.

"Furthermore, children who are obese are more likely to be obese in adulthood.

"The rate at which Irish children are becoming obese demands an urgent response to address the devastating health problems.

"Obesity is preventable and the focus should be on prevention and early intervention. Intervention in childhood and adolescent obesity has been shown to be more successful than in adults." Tens of thousands of Irish children are too fat - and the number is growing by 10,000 every year. A study this year also found one-in-four nine-year olds are overweight or obese.

President Mary McAleese, who opened a three-day conference yesterday aimed at fighting the growing problem, said she was concerned at the trend.

She added: "Childhood obesity is rising rapidly in Ireland, reflecting what is happening across the wider population and in other countries.

"Indeed the rise in obesity has been described by the World Health Organisation as a 'global epidemic' - a word that is currently all over the news in relation to swine flu but for some reason the ticking time-bomb that is the obesity epidemic does not raise the same level of alarm.

"The rising number of children affected is of particular concern as it leads to a broad range of serious health and social problems.

"Worryingly, poverty and childhood obesity often go hand in hand and that reality challenges us to overcome the socio-economic barriers that prevent children's access to a balanced diet and to physical and leisure activities.

"The importance of what happens to later growth and future health is beyond doubt.

"Establishing healthy lifestyles is an essential part of the investment we make in our children from the outset for it is true that what is learnt in childhood is engraved on stone and we who are the adult engravers have such a short window and such a huge responsibility to get things right.

"Our children "Our children depend upon us and bad engraving leaves a mark that can last a lifetime, embedding patterns of behaviour which can cast long shadows over that life."

CAPTION(S):

ABSOLUTELY FLABULOUS Obese kids risk becoming fat adults GUT REACTION Doctors want more done to prevent problem