THE DEFENCE Forces could make a significant contribution to addressing the problem of obesity among young people by working with schools to improve fitness levels among students, an Oireachtas committee was told yesterday.
Dr Noel Richardson, a retired member of the Defence Forces and a trained PE teacher who now works at the Carlow Institute of Technology, told the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Equality, Defence and Women’s Rights that the majority of school children in Ireland were not meeting the recommended guidelines of 60 minutes physical activity a day.
He said at primary level, less than one in five children (19 per cent) are meeting the guidelines and at second level the figure is even lower at 12 per cent.
Furthermore, he said half of primary school principals and 42 per cent of post-primary principals in a recent study reported their sporting facilities were not adequate.
The Defence Forces, which he said were a rich source of expertise in terms of teachers, instructors and coaches as well as facilities like swimming pools and gyms and equipment could be used to help fill some of these glaring gaps.
In addition, he said due to the state of the public finances the onus would be on schools to use resources already in their communities and the Defence Forces could provide these, while at the same time building fitness and confidence levels among students.
This was already being done by defence forces in Canada and France, he said.
Comparing the focus on PE in Irish schools with those in Australia, he said the Irish were lagging behind. He said at senior level in second-level schools here the focus is often on Leaving Cert points rather than PE.