According to the Irish Examiner this morning, a major survey of more than one thousand 3rd and 4th class pupils in 27 schools from Cork City and Mitchelstown indicates that a quarter of the children are either overweight or obese. The data is from the Cork Children’s Lifestyle Study, carried out by a research team in University College Cork, and is likely to raise concerns over the health of a generation of younger people

The Examiner reports that findings of the survey include:

* More than twice as many obese children did no hard physical activity over a week compared to normal weight children;

* 7% of girls were categorised as obese compared with 4% of boys. Boys were more likely to reach the 60-minute daily exercise target;

* Moderate to vigorous activity levels were significantly lower for children who were either overweight or obese compared with normal weight.

The study also indicates that many children between the ages of eight and 11 are not getting enough sleep.

Read more from the Irish Examiner here

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