Survey of Irish children published

The first results from a major study of the lives of Irish children have been published today.

The National Longitudinal Study of Children, which began in January 2007, tracks the lives of 8,500 nine-year-old children and their families over seven years.

According to the study, almost one in five children are overweight, with a further 7 per cent classed as obese.

The figures mean that a quarter of nine-year-old children in Ireland have a raised body mass index, which could put them at risk of disease now and in the future.

Despite this, 99 per cent of parents said their children were in good health, although 25 per cent said their nine-year-olds had minor problems.

Although the study showed most children ate well, they also ate high-calorie or high-fat snack foods. More than half of children - 55 per cent - said they had eaten at least one portion of crisps in the previous 24 hours, while 74 per cent ate at least one portion of biscuits, cakes or chocolate, and just over half had consumed at least one non-diet soft drink.

Children's eating habits are heavily influenced by parental education, with more fruit and vegetables consumed among those whose parents had a higher level of education, and the consumption of "energydense snack foods" - except biscuits, cakes and chocolate - increased as parental education fell.

Although the average weight of children was about 34 kg, this declined in girls according to increases in social class.

Both genders were involved in clubs and activities outside of school, although boys were more likely to be involved in sports or fitness activities, with 84 per cent of boys taking part in such clubs compared to 66 per cent of girls. In contrast, 65 per cent of girls were involved in cultural activities such as dance, ballet, music, arts and drama, compared to 31 per cent of boys.

The study also found that almost half of the children have a TV in their bedroom, while close to 45 per cent have a mobile phone.

According to their parents, 65 per cent of nine-year-olds spent between one and three hours watching television, while a further 9 per cent watched between three and five hours each day. Forty-four per cent played video games for usually less than an hour a day, while 51 per cent spent time every day on the computer.

Seven per cent of the children had a computer in their bedroom.

Most used the computer for playing games, with 86 per cent admitting the game were their primary use of the PC, while about half used it for surfing the internet for fun (49 per cent) and school (47 per cent).

The study also looked at education, revealing that parents have a higher estimate of their children’s abilities than their teachers. Some 60 per cent of parents said their child was above average at reading, compared to the teachers' estimate of 39 per cent. In maths, 52 per cent of parents felt their child was "above average", compared to the teachers' estimate of 33 per cent.

Parents also have high expectations for their children, with 76 per cent believing their child will be educated to degree level.

While illness and injury was the most common reason for a child missing school days, the second most common reason for absence was family holidays.

Work-life balance was also an issue in the research, which found work commitments are having an impact on family life. Just over one third of mothers and 50 per cent of fathers feel it adversely impacted the amount of time they spent with their family.

Just over 82 per cent of nine-year-olds included in the study lived in two-parent households, with the largest proportion - 46 per cent - in two-parent households where there were three or more children living there, including themselves. Twenty-nine per cent of the smaller two-parent families were in the higher income group.

Eighteen per cent lived in single parent families, with 11 per cent having one or two children and 7 per cent in families with three or more. Lone-parent families were mainly in the lowest income group, with 53 per cent of those with three or more children falling into this category. Only 5 per cent of the largest single-parent families were in the top income group.

The Government-funded study, which is aimed at improving understanding of children and their development, follows the progress of two groups of children: 8,500 nine-year-olds, and 10,000 nine-month-olds.

The children, their parents, teachers and principals were interviewed between September 2007 and May 2008.