Irish Urged to Take Action on European Obesity Day
Monday, 17 May 2010 11:00
Monday 17 May 2010 - Áine Brady, Minister of State with responsibility for Older People and Health Promotion, today voiced her support for the inaugural European Obesity Day and called on Irish citizens to sign the European Obesity Day Charter at www.obesityday.eu This European citizens' initiative has been organised as part of European Obesity Day, which takes place on Saturday 22 May, in association with GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare, the Irish Pharmacy Union and the Diabetes Federation of Ireland.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), overweight and obesity is currently responsible for more than 1 million deaths and 12 million life-years of ill health each year. The aim of the online petition is to collect the signatures of one million EU member state citizens, in order to ask the European Commission directly, to take note of and put into action, the recommendations in the Charter.
Speaking about the initiative, Minister Brady said; “This will be the first European citizens' initiative petition ever undertaken and is a chance for people to get involved in a serious issue that concerns not only a fifth of the adults in Ireland, but a huge part of the population of Europe. By making the issue of obesity part of the EU Commission agenda, people are demonstrating the power they have to make progress and create change.”
Obesity is a leading cause of preventable death and disease in Europe and it has reached epidemic proportions. Preventing people from becoming overweight is key for the future, but the only way to reverse the epidemic is by helping those already overweight and obese reach a healthy weight.
European Obesity Day is supported in Ireland by GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare, the Irish Pharmacy Union and the Diabetes Federation of Ireland.
Niall O’Shea, GlaxoSmithKline, Ireland explains: “Obesity is a real risk to the health of current and future generations. We are working to help raise awareness of the seriousness of this issue and to help raise awareness of the solutions that are available to people who are currently obese. It is important that people who are overweight and obese are aware of the options open to them and it is also crucial that they fully understand the detrimental health impact of inaction on their part.”
Darragh O’Loughlin, President of the Irish Pharmacy Union, said: “Pharmacists are ideally positioned to work with the public, provide them with information and assist them in finding solutions to obesity. An ongoing awareness programme is needed to ensure people are continually warned about the dangers of excessive consumption of foods high in fat, sugar and salt and also of the benefits of regular exercise. While the population may be aware of the benefits of healthy eating, evidence would tend to suggest that they may not be aware of the dangers of regular consumption of fatty foods and snacks. There is also an opportunity to improve the supports provided to health professionals in obesity prevention and diagnosing and in counselling those at risk of obesity.We fully support this initiative and would encourage all pharmacists to log onto www.obesityday.eu to find out about what part they can play in addressing this increasing health risk.”
Dr. Anna Clarke of the Diabetes Federation of Ireland said: “Being overweight increases your risk of developing several serious health problems such as Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and certain types of cancer. The spread of Type 2 diabetes is a serious risk in this county - the incidence of Type 2 diabetes is currently rising by at least 3.7% annually. Initiatives such as this will assist in raising awareness, encourage people to know their own risk but most importantly become aware of what is a healthy BMI and how to achieve that for the benefit of their health.”
Visit www.obesityday.eu and be a part of the movement for change.
Media Contact Details:
Q4 Public Relations 01 475 1444
Ruth O’Byrnes 086 055 8331
