A Vision for Childhood Obesity Policy and Services

The INDI launched a Vision for Childhood Obesity Policy and Services at the launch of Nourish Children Week today.

The key components are as follows:

• Need to develop cross-sectoral and departmental policy to tackle childhood obesity.

• HSE to agree best model for community based childhood obesity prevention and intervention programmes with reference to existing evidence- based best practice programmes (e.g. Up4It, Donegal, Cavan and Monaghan and W82GO, Temple Street Children's University Hospital) and resources need to be identified and allocated for continuation and roll out of agreed model of programmes.

• Monitoring of weight and heights at different life stages e.g. ante-natal, breastfeeding clubs, schools etc.

• HSE to ensure that the HSE/ ICGP Weight Management Treatment Algorithm for Children is used across all primary care settings as an integral part of the work of preventing and treating childhood obesity .

• Integrate nutritional education module into curricula for all healthcare professionals.

• Parent education at different stages of pregnancy.

• Healthy Eating Flag for schools to be introduced to complement Active Flag system already in existence

• Re-instate Physical Education as part of core curriculum subject in primary and post primary secondary schools along with SPHE and Computer Studies.

• Retail sector to remove vending machines from schools.

• BAI to increase watershed from 6pm to 9pm for advertising of high fat, salt and sugar foods (HFSS) and drinks

Click here for full vision document.