Childhood obesity in
Northern Ireland
Alex White
Nutrition Scientist
British Nutrition Foundation
Why is obesity an issue?
In the UK, the prevalence of obesity in adults and
children has been increasing over recent decades.
Overweight and obesity are linked with an
increased risk of developing some cancers,
cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.
People who are obese are more likely to be living
with conditions like depression.
We spend more each year on the treatment of
obesity and diabetes than we do on the police, fire
service and judicial system combined.
Why is childhood obesity an issue?
Obese
children are
more likely
to become
obese
adults.
Childhood obesity: applying All Our Health
What puts children at risk?
There are many different factors that affect
children’s risk of becoming obese.
At a basic level weight gain is caused by
consuming more calories than needed from
foods and drinks and not doing enough
physical activity.
Both diet and physical activity are affected by
many different factors including poverty, food
promotions, the walkability of neighbourhoods
and social interactions to name a few.
Child overweight and obesity in NI
BMI in Children 2-15 years
Boys and girls overweight and obesity figures
6%
26% Boys
20% 26% Girls
Overweight Obese
Around a quarter (26%) of children aged 2-15 were either overweight (20%) or obese (6%).
Health Survey Northern Ireland 2019/20
Child overweight and obesity in NI
25%
21% 21%
20% 19% 19% 19% 20%
17% 17% 18%
16%
15%
10%
10% 9% 9%
8% 8% 8%
7% 7% 7%
6%
5%
0%
2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 2015/16 2016/17 2017/18 2018/19 2019/20
Overweight Obese
Health Survey Northern Ireland 2019/20
Physical activity
UK Chief Medical Officer
Physical activity is beneficial because it can: recommendations
• help to manage the balance between energy in Children and young people
and energy out, to maintain a healthy weight; (aged 5 -18 years)
• improve heart health and strengthen muscles and
bones; Be active for at least 60 minutes every
day (ranging from moderate-to-
• improve sleep, relieve stress and lift mood; vigorous intensity).
• have a range of social benefits.
Engage in a variety of types and
intensities of physical activity across
Lockdown adds challenge, with children not walking the week, to develop movement skills,
to school or playing in the playground, but also
facilities to play sport and sport clubs are closed. muscular fitness and bone strength.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/physical-a
https://www.nhs.uk/change4life/activities ctivity-guidelines-uk-chief-medical-officers-report
Physical activity in NI
How many times during a normal week would you Percentage of 16 year old's in Northern
spend at least 60 minutes doing physical activity? Ireland not meeting the targets
Boys Girls
Never 8% 10% Boys 87%
Up to 4 times a week 37% 63%
4-6 times a week 32% 20% Girls 95%
7 or more times a week 13% 5%
Young people and sport in Northern Ireland 2016
Barriers to physical activity in NI
Reasons preventing children %
from taking part in sport
Not enough time 69 Activities in a normal week %
Poor health or disability 4 Walk/cycle to school 42
I don’t have anyone I can go with 23 Do PE in school 44
Difficulty getting there 26 Sport/activities outside school 52
Cost 24 Any other physical activity 30
Don’t know where I can do 13 None of these 8
activities
Another reason 7
Young Life and Times (YLT) survey (16 year old’s in NI)
What is being done?
Policy
Physical Schools
activity
Childhood Obesity Campaign
This campaign focuses on six core actions for parents.
These are considered practical solutions in small,
achievable steps.
• Understanding portion sizes for children.
• How to manage treat foods like sweets, crisps and
chocolate.
• Replacing sugary drinks.
• Being more physically active.
• Reducing screen-time.
• Encouraging more sleep.
Childhood obesity campaign
A fitter future for all
This is a Framework for Preventing and Addressing Overweight and
Obesity in Northern Ireland 2012-2022.
“empower the population of Northern Ireland to make healthy
choices, reduce the risk of overweight and obesity related diseases
and improve health and well being, by creating an environment that
supports and promotes a physically active lifestyle and a healthy
diet”.
Aims to:
• increase the percentage of people eating a healthy diet;
• increase the percentage of the population meeting PA guidelines;
• for children, reduce obesity by 3% and reduce overweight and obesity
by 2% by 2022.
A Fitter Future for all
A fitter future for all
Some examples of the childhood related programs include:
• Improving nutrition knowledge of childcare providers through
delivery of Nutrition Matters for the early years training.
• Food in Schools program which supports schools to promote
healthy eating at meal-times and throughout the school day.
• Nutritional Standards for school lunches and other food and
drink in schools have been revised.
• The Active School Travel program which encourages and
supports school children to walk, cycle or scoot to school.
• Developing an early years obesity prevention program to help
reduce levels of childhood obesity by ‘empowering parents and
upskilling practitioners’.
A Fitter Future for all
Progress to date
• An Eating Well, Choosing Better program is being delivered
to encourage the food industry to achieve sugar and calorie
reduction by reduction in portion size, reduction in sugar
and/or calories content.
• Active Travel is supported in three settings, including
Schools (Active Schools travel).
• The Daily Mile scheme is being promoted in primary schools
and work is ongoing to expand this throughout NI.
• An Early Years Obesity Prevention program is being
developed.
Sugar tax
No • Under 5g sugar
Came into effect April 2018. charge
per 100ml
Soft drinks manufacturers producing drinks
with 5g/100ml sugar or more will pay the levy.
• 5-7.9g sugar per
18p per
litre 100ml
For Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland,
the Barnett formula will be applied to
spending on these new initiatives in the
normal way. • 8g or more
24p per sugar per 100ml
In England, the money will go towards litre
physical activity promotion in school.
Soft Drinks Industry Levy
Food in schools policy
The policy states that grant-aided schools must:
• Adopt a whole-school approach to food and nutrition.
• Comply fully with the Nutritional Standards for School
Lunches and the Nutritional Standards for Other Food and
Drinks in Schools.
• Ensure pupils always have access to free drinking water.
• Provide for education in the curriculum in relation to nutrition
and healthy eating from foundation stage until key stage 4.
• Provide education in Home Economics to all pupils at key
stage 3.
Food in Schools Policy
Physical activity policy in Northern Ireland
Sport matters 2009 – 2019
• Improving the quality, quantity and access to places for sport.
• Ensure that every person in Northern Ireland has access to new,
improved world-class and local sports facilities.
• Looks at sport across the board, school children to professional,
world class athletes.
A new Sport and Physical Activity strategy in 2021
• Will include physical and mental health and well-being, education,
transport, urban and rural regeneration, good relations, community
safety, social inclusion and economic and social equality.
• Expectation that this will be released in early 2021. Sport matters Northern Ireland
More recent policy – free school meals?
The Department of Education will pay for
free school meals for eligible children
during all school holidays until April 2022.
In Northern Ireland, payments to those
eligible for free school meals were
previously made over the summer and
half-term holidays in 2020.
Families of about 97,000 children received
payments of £27 every fortnight per child in
lieu of free meals.
Why does inequality lead to obesity?
There are a number of factors that may contribute
to the link between poverty and childhood obesity.
For those on the lowest incomes, the cost of a
healthy diet can represent 74% of their disposable
income and less healthy foods tend to be
cheaper.
The environment in more deprived areas can also
mean higher exposure to fast food outlets and
fewer opportunities to be active.
Food insecurity and the impact on obesity
Food insecurity is defined
as lack of secure access to
sufficient, safe and
nutritious food that can
ensure normal growth and
development, as well as an
active and healthy lifestyle.
Children and the Sustainable Develo
pment Goals in Rich Countries, UNIC
EF report
What about other aspects of children’s diets?
Excess consumption Low intakes of
of free sugars, salt, some vitamins and
saturated fat and minerals in some
energy. groups.
A significant proportion of
children are not meeting the 5 A Low intake of fibre
DAY recommendations. and wholegrains
NDNS 2018
Moving forward…
Giving children the Increasing Balancing health
Government
best opportunities with opportunities for inequalities.
policy.
high quality food physical activity.
education.
Healthy eating recommendations
Top tips for healthy eating
• Get your 5 A DAY – at least!
• Go for wholegrains.
• Try to have two portions of fish
each week, one of which should be
oily.
• Eat more beans and lentils and
other plant-based proteins.
• Use unsaturated oils and spreads.
• Keep ‘treat-foods’ to small portions
and have them less often.
• Drink at least 6-8 cups/glasses of
fluid a day.
Conclusions
Childhood obesity is an issue throughout the UK.
Obesity harms children’s health, both in the short
and the long term.
The current obesity crisis is down to our
obesogenic environment and to tackle this we
need to create a healthier environment.
• It is not just about cutting down but also about
eating and drinking well and keeping active,
especially for children who are growing and
developing and so really need all the essential
nutrients.
Useful links
British Nutrition Foundation (BNF)
Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN)
Health Survey Northern Ireland 2019/20
https://www.nhs.uk/change4life/activities
Childhood obesity campaign
A Fitter Future for all
Food in Schools Policy
Sport matters Northern Ireland
Soft Drinks Industry Levy
Children and the Sustainable Development Goals in
Rich Countries, UNICEF report
Thanks to everyone for listening!
For further information, go to: www.nutrition.org.uk
