Irish people eat far too many snack foods and confectionery products containing high fat and sugar, which, with lack of exercise, causes them to become overweight and obese, a report on dietary habits has shown.
Only about one-fifth of the population is getting the right balance in eating different types of food. The report also found that the socially and economically disadvantaged had a less healthy diet.
The findings in the National Nutrition Surveillance Centre Annual Report 1999 were based on questionnaires from 6,539 people on their dietary habits carried out by Slan, the national health and lifestyle survey.
Irish dietary guidelines detailed in the report recommend that foods high in fat and sugar be eaten sparingly, with not more than three servings daily. However, eight out of 10 people reported overconsumption in this category.
Describing this figure as "an ominous sign", Prof Cecily Kelleher, director of the centre, said: "An increasingly sedentary lifestyle - a fifth of all adults take no weekly exercise at all - a reliance on snacking patterns in eating and evidence that some types of foods are being inordinately targeted rather than a balanced approach with a high relative intake of fruit and vegetables will lead to increasing problems of obesity in this country as in other developed countries."
The survey shows that 40 per cent of males and 25 per cent of females are in the overweight category. In addition, 11.6 per cent of men and 9 per cent of women are in the obese category. Respondents in the lower social and economic classes were more inclined to be overweight or obese.
At the publication of the report, the Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children, Dr Tom Moffatt, said that in order to help prevent conditions such as heart disease and some cancers, there should be a shift away from high-fat foods to fruit, vegetables, bread, cereals and potatoes.
The report shows that more men in the 18-to-34 age group consumed over three servings of high-fat food daily than any other group. Men who were approaching middle age, particularly bluecollar workers, also continued to eat relatively large amounts of fat and cut down on exercise at the same time. Men in the 35-to-54 year age group reported height and weight corresponding to a significantly higher prevalence of obesity compared to other age groups.
The diets of young women were low in iron and calcium, and women over 55 years were more likely to be obese than younger age groups.
For young people, health education programmes around diet, smoking and image, which were all inter-related, should focus on the social and environmental aspects.
She said exercise was also important. Older people showed signs of needing major changes in exercise patterns. The message was to integrate exercise into daily life, such as walking up stairs instead of taking a lift.