Focus on healthy lifestyle needed to combat obesity – Fitzpatrick

Fine Gael TD for Louth, Peter Fitzpatrick TD has, today (Thursday), called for a greater focus on healthy living in Louth following an Irish Examiner article in which Louth is listed as one of the worst counties for obesity.

“The Irish Examiner report on health across the country did not make great reading for the people of Louth. This article tells us that over 15% of the population is classified as obese, making us one of the six worst counties in Ireland.

“There is no hiding from the fact that obesity is a very real problem in Ireland and in Louth, but on the other hand, there are also a host of clubs, groups and societies who take part in a range of different sports and these groups must be commended for the work they do. As a sports fanatic myself, I believe we need to promote a healthy lifestyle and to encourage our children to get out and about from the very start.

“Last month the Department of Health launched Healthy Ireland, an initiative aimed at improving the health and well-being of the people of Ireland now and for generations to come. This all-encompassing approach is integral to delivering for the whole of society. Obesity is not a problem that will be solved overnight; all of us need to take personal responsibility for our families and from a Government perspective, I am committed to working for more supports for schools and to promote healthy living for families.

“Today’s article on Health published in the Irish Examiner highlights unemployment, which remains a problem for people of the county. I am pleased that in recent months we have seen major investment by PayPal, a growth in small local businesses and a drop in the number of people on the Live Register but it is clear there is still a lot of work to be done. The latest quarterly report on the Action plan for Jobs was published today; we are making progress and jobs remain top of our list of priorities.”