The National Youth Council of Ireland and the Irish Heart Foundation are unveiling a new resource entitled Healthy Eating Active Living to tackle the escalating problems of poor nutrition and declining levels of physical activity among Irish teenagers.
“Heart attacks and stroke may seem remote from young people’s lives, but the reality is that key risk factors such as high blood pressure and raised cholesterol begin in childhood and develop over the life-course,” said Michael O’Shea, chief executive of the Irish Heart Foundation. “Unfortunately, research shows that one in five Irish five to 17 year olds is overweight or obese, which makes the development of resources like the new Healthy Eating Active Living guidelines even more urgent in encouraging healthy lifestyles for young people in Ireland.”
