We’re eating and drinking more than ever before: new CSO figures
IT’S official: Irish people are drinking and eating more than ever and its showing on our waistlines.
New figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) show that more of the population in Kilkenny and the rest of the country is overweight and binge-drink on a regular basis.
The rise is partly attributed to the average rise in household incomes over recent years.
According to the CSO, almost two-thirds of the population (62pc) were overweight or obese in 2017, compared with 60pc in 2015.
Some 39pc of those aged 15 years and older binge-drink on a regular basis, consuming more than three pints or six pub measures of spirits in one sitting. This compares with 37pc in 2016.
The Health Service Executive (HSE) lead expert on tackling obesity, Dr Donal O’Shea, said the obesity rates were “very disappointing”. He also said higher-income families were less likely to be overweight.
“When you break down the children’s figures, we’re seeing a reduction in the better-off parts of society,” he said.
Dr O’Shea also criticised the State’s failure to provide the necessary funding for surgical treatments.
“We are having great difficulty convincing the Government to actually fund treatment for people who are overweight and obese,” he said.
