Moyna sets out new drive to tackle obesity

DCU professor Niall Moyna stirred up controversy recently by saiding primary school teachers should “label” obese pupils and “alert” parents if their children are overweight.

Moyna, a lecturer of Health and Human Performance, believes primary school teachers need to become more pro-active with regards to childhood obesity.

He said schoolteachers should regularly check and record pupils’ weight, height and body mass index (BMI). He also mentions that parents should be alerted if their children do not fall within the normal BMI range.

The DCU lecturer himself sees no problem in labelling an overweight child.

“Let’s identify the risk,” said Professor Moyna.

“We’ve no problem labelling a child with elevated blood pressure or elevated cholesterol. Obesity is a risk factor for acute problems like type two diabetes, reproductive disorders and gallstones.”

He added: “I think it’s important that primary teachers stand up and be prepared to measure this on a regular basis.”

Moyna’s comments were met with many objections, notably from academics in the area of obesity and the General Secretary of the Irish National Teachers Organisation (INTO).

Mary O’Sullivan, Professor of Physical Education and Youth Sport at the University of Limerick (UL), said young people’s height and weight fluctuate considerably in the pre-pubescent years.

“I think that labelling all students in such a way at a young age is not helpful,” said Professor O’Sullivan in relation to Moyna’s comments.

Dr David Ludwig, one of America’s top obesity experts, believes that the recent widespread obesity crisis is primarily caused by environmental factors such as what we’re eating, how active we are and our family structure.

“If society could revert back to the way it did certain things 40 years ago, two-thirds of obesity would vanish,” said Dr Ludwig.

“Parents can think back to their childhood and to what they ate and what they did for activities. In many cases, it is vastly different to what many families eat and do today.”

All of these comments are being made at a time when childhood obesity levels in Ireland are reaching a critical level.

In 1997, the World Health Organisation (WHO) warned of an “escalating epidemic” which would affect millions of people around the world if action was not taken immediately. This epidemic is prevalent in Ireland with obesity now a growing concern. One in five Irish children is classed as obese.

The condition is linked to serious health problems such as diabetes, cancer and dementia in later life.
Niall Moyna will be leading a lecture in the RDS entitled ‘Obesity: Treating the Epidemic, Preventing the Pandemic,’ which will take place on Tuesday November 4. He will be joined by Dr Donal O’Shea from the Department of Endocrinology at St Vincent’s University Hospital.

Together they will discuss the medical and social significance obesity will have to the overall future health of Irish people.