Irish Kids Have Ballooned 24 kilos Since 1948. Can we Reverse it?

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Irish kids now weigh 24 kilos more than they did in 1948. This is according to new research published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

A rapid increase in prosperity during the Celtic Tiger years has gone hand in hand with a surge in obesity in Ireland. But the current economic downturn is unlikely to reverse these trends.

The researchers base their findings on three large-scale national surveys of the heights and weights of schoolchildren between the ages of four and 14 in Ireland. One took place in 1948, one during the 1970s, and one in 2002.

During the 1940s, Ireland’s economy was stagnant, and it did not benefit from a post-war boom. In 1948, its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was €0.432 billion. But by 2002, its per capita GDP was over €130 million, the second-highest in Europe.

Irish kids over time

The serial measurements showed that over the decades, children grew taller. On average, 14-year-old boys were 23.1 cm taller and girls 15.6 cm taller in 2002 than they were in 1948.

But the most dramatic increases were evident in their weight. 14-year-old boys were 65% heavier, on average, in 2002 than they were in 1948, weighing in at 60.9 kilos compared with 37 kilos in 1948. And 14-year-old girls were 48% heavier, weighing in at an average of 58.7 kilos compared with 39.5 kilos in 1948.

Most of the increases in weight occurred from the 1970s onwards, the data shows.

The Rest of Europe

The authors point out that children in Ireland might have been undernourished in 1948, but their nutritional intake was comparable with that of the rest of Europe. They were not subject to food rationing after the war.

The authors say, “The data provides stark and compelling evidence on the evolution of the obesity epidemic in Irish children in tandem with the increase in economic prosperity. One can only speculate as to the effect that the current downturn in the Irish economy will have on the prevalence of obesity in Ireland. However, it is likely that, coupled with the increasing problem of food poverty and food insecurity, socioeconomic obesity gradients will be accentuated, and the underlying high prevalence of overweight and obesity will not be reversed.”

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