Minister for Health Leo Varadkar is ‘concerned’ by study findings that show more than one in five children have gone to bed or school hungry due to a lack of food at home.
The shocking finding was made as part of a Department of Health study carried out across 10- to 17-year-olds from 2010 to 2014.
The Health Behaviours in School Children study uncovered other alarming statistics, with 16% of those surveyed admitting to being on diets, and only 22% eating vegetables on a daily basis.
With regards to smoking, there was a slight decrease in the number of young people who have tried cigarettes, but the figure still stands at around 16%.
On a more positive note, the study displayed a significant fall in the numbers of young people consuming fizzy drinks (down to 13%, from 21% in 2010).
Commenting on the survey findings, Minister for Health Leo Varadkar expressed particular concern over underage smoking: “We have made real progress on smoking, but this survey shows us we have much more to do in eliminating access to cigarettes.”
