Irish happy with health but see nation as fatter, lazier

The majority of Irish people believe the nation is less healthy than it was 20 years ago primarily because of overeating and a lack of exercise, according to new research.

The tns/MRBIsurvey conducted on behalf of the Nutrition & Health Foundation found the main reasons people gave for not adopting a healthier lifestyle were "a lack of time and a lack of motivation.

The foundation is led by the food and drink industry.

The survey found individuals expressed quite a different view on health when asked about themselves. Almost 90 per cent of the 1,200 respondents claimed they were happy about their overall health.

A majority also claimed they felt their diet was about right contradicting a recent food consumption report which found few Irish people met the recommended nutritional guidelines.

The survey concluded that many Irish people were not prepared to admit they were unhealthy or "to admit that they make lifestyle choices that risk ill health".

Despite agreeing that the main causes of ill health in Ireland were diet and exercise-related, when questioned about what their biggest concerns were, the majority identified cancer or said they had none.

Only five per cent of respondents identified being overweight or "not enough exercise" as a concern.

Dr Louise Sullivan of the Nutrition & Health Foundation said: "The modern consumer leads an extremely busy life, with longer working hours and commuting times leaving less and less time for engaging in physical activity or for cooking the traditional family meal."

"These, combined with other social pressures have resulted in a sharp decline in the number of individuals meeting the minimum recommendations for physical activity and a sharp increase in the incidence of overweight/obesity."

The survey found 76 per cent of people claimed their workplace did not encourage physical activity during or outside working hours. The majority said they would participate if their employer offered a healthy lifestyle programme.

The Nutrition & Health Foundation has developed a Workplace Wellbeing Programme which it says provides "accessible nutrition, exercise and sports initiatives for implementation through companies".

Dr Sullivan said there was an important role for employers in ensuring healthy lifestyles are promoted in the workplace.