Public must be made aware of benefits of changing eating habits

Ireland has a thriving artisan food industry, and our home-grown produce, which is exported all over the world, is second to none. Ireland has created a great reputation when it comes to good-quality, healthy food.

But currently six out of every 10 adults and one out of every four children in Ireland are overweight or obese. This is a frightening figure and is at odds with the wholesome image of our food industry.

Dr Stephanie O’Keeffe, national director of the Health and Wellbeing programme within the HSE, says in order to reduce risk of associated diseases such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and certain cancers, people need to take urgent steps to lose weight and change their lifestyles.

“The treatment and management of chronic diseases [resulting from obesity] and their associated complications consume the most healthcare resources, accounting for approximately 80 per cent of GP consultations and 60 per cent of hospital beds,” she says. “In 2009 costs of obesity were estimated at €1.13 billion in Ireland.

National guidelines

“For those who are overweight or obese, reducing their weight by 10 per cent and increasing their levels of regular physical activity to meet the national guidelines of at least 30 minutes moderate activity (walking, cycling or swimming) most days of the week will significantly reduce their risk of developing chronic diseases.”

However, O’Keeffe also says there are a number of factors which need to be addressed in order to change public thinking and behaviour which will in turn lead to greater awareness of dietary health.

"The Lancet journal has described the food system as an interconnected network of producers, industry and institutions with the individual at its heart," she says. "A number of key actions could be taken by different actors in the system to support healthy food preference and choices of individuals.

“These include consumer- friendly nutrition labelling on food products and restrictions on marketing of foods which are high in fat, sugar and salt. It could also include a tax on unhealthy foods and subsidies on healthy foods to increase availability and affordability.

“Setting a minimum nutrition standard for food which is produced and sold in schools, hospitals and publicly-funded institutions is important, as is education on healthy eating, budgeting and cooking skills.”

Healthier food

Along with these changes, O’Keeffe says the food production and retail industry could help influence healthy eating by increasing shelf-space and redesign positioning for healthier food to increase availability and prominence.

However, she also says changes must be made by individuals in order to create and sustain a healthy diet.

“Each individual should limit the intake of foods which are high in fat, sugar and salt to occasional rather than every day,” she says. “We would also encourage an increase in the consumption of fruit and vegetables and for people to influence each other as role models, care-givers and peers.”

Dr Cliodhna Foley-Nolan of Safefood also says the influences on food behaviour are multifactorial and include wider environmental and social influences, as well as personal and psychological factors.

Shopping habits

“Food costs play a significant role in determining eating patterns and health behaviours,” she says. “According to Popkin et al. (2005) individual food choice is affected by pricing. Both adults and adolescents indicate price as the one of the most influential factors determining food choice and ‘fast food’ is both relatively cheap and highly palatable.

“Dietary patterns have shifted remarkably across the globe over the past several decades. The food we eat, where we eat, the number of eating events and the people with whom we share our meals have changed, as have shopping habits.

“Social norms, household composition, time availability, family influence and family preferences, time and working hours, and social events are some of the many social factors which can impact or influence consumer food behaviour.”

The dietary expert says food habits are created in childhood and while there is so much information available about what not to eat, modern society leans towards the easiest options so it really is time to think about how food is being marketed.

“Over the past few decades, convenience has emerged as a key factor in consumer food choices, with increasing prosperity and changing social and work conditions meaning many people eat outside the home more frequently,” she says.

“During the 1990s these social changes accompanied significant expansion within the retail sector and the arrival of new retail brands previously unseen in Ireland.

“So marketing has played a major role in influencing consumers to buy products which are highly processed, not very nutritious and sold as being time-saving, whereas grilling a chop in fact takes the same time as cooking a ready meal.”

Behavioural change

Knowing this information and acting on it are two different things, and Foley-Nolan says more is being done to encourage people to change diets.

“Behaviour change communication has transitioned from a primary focus on individual choices towards a multi-faceted perspective of change which considers the role of the individual and environment in shaping behaviours,” she says.

“Health promotion, risk communication and social marketing are the dominant strategies for promoting behavioural change.

“More recently a ‘nudge’ approach, based on behavioural economics, is increasing in popularity. These developments acknowledge that information alone is not enough and must be accompanied by a supportive environment which makes the healthy choice the easy choice when it comes to food.”

See futurehealthsummit.com | safefood.eu | hse.ie/healthandwellbeing