Irish children do more physical activity, have high levels of reading literacy and are more likely to be happy when compared to children in most other European countries, according to a report published today.
The State of the Nation's Children Report 2008examines 50 different aspects of children's lives, from 22 data sources, including information from the Central Statistics Office, administrative data sources and surveys of young people in Ireland.
Ireland ranks top in terms of the percentage of children who report being physically active for at least an hour per day on more than four days per week, according to a 2006 World Health Organisation study.
Minister for Children and Youth Affairs Barry Andrews welcomed the study’s findings. “Overall Irish children ranked first out of 41 countries in terms of physical activity. Almost 60 per cent of 11, 13, and 15 year-old children report being physically active for at least 60 minutes per day on more than four days per week,” he said.
The Minister said boys are more likely to report those levels of physical activity than girls, and older girls (15-17) are the least likely of all groups to report this, according to the Health Behaviour in School-going Children Survey, 2006.
Children in Ireland ranked fifth in reading literacy among 29 countries, while in maths and science they are about average, Dr Sinéad Hanafin, head of research at the Office of the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, said.
They ranked fifth in reading literacy among 29 countries, while in maths and science they are about average, according to the Programme for International Student Assessment, 2006.
Speaking today, Dr Hanafin, one of the authors of the report, said children in Ireland are more likely than those in many other countries to report being happy, and to have three or more friends.
In the area of children’s health, she said there has been a “very substantial” fall in the number of babies and children, who die each year. In 2002, 516 children under 18 died, compared with 395 in 2006.
“There are also positive findings in relation to children’s behaviour, including a slight reduction in daily smoking rates among children aged 9-17,” she said.
Dr Hanafin noted a number of areas of concern for children in Ireland, however, including an increase in the reported levels of lifetime cannabis use from 12 per cent in 2002 to 15.7 per cent in 2006 and high levels of reported bullying at school (24.5 per cent).
Dr Hanafin also highlighted a high level of reported bullying at 24.5 per cent. "Even if we compare well internationally that's still a lot of children who report to having been bullied."
The report also found an increase in breastfeeding rates. In 2005, 47.5 per cent of babies were breast-fed on discharge from hospital compared with 39 per cent in 1999.
The report is the second in a biennial series of reports on child well-being in Ireland, which is a Government commitment under the National Children’s Strategy (2000).