AQW 27050/17-22

Ms Claire Sugden
Independent
East Londonderry

Tabled Date: 08/12/2021
Answered On Date: 19/01/2022
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Health for his assessment of children’s healthy eating habits; and to outline the steps he is taking to improve these habits.

Answer:

The current obesity prevention framework, A Fitter Future for All 2012-2022, seeks to take an integrated approach to obesity prevention and contains outcomes and actions across the life course for the entire population of Northern Ireland. Work is underway to develop a replacement strategy by 2023.

Data from the latest National Diet and Nutrition Survey shows that children in Northern Ireland eat too much sugar, saturated fat, red meats and processed meats and not enough fruit and vegetables, oily fish and fibre.

Focussing specifically on children’s healthy eating habits, the Public Health Agency (PHA) invests in a number of obesity prevention programmes and work in partnership with statutory and non-statutory partners to promote activities that encourage eating habits that contribute to obesity prevention.

The PHA have developed and are funding the Early Years Obesity Prevention Programme (EYOP) across NI. This targeted programme will address risk and protective factors for childhood obesity, adopting a holistic approach focusing on parenting skills, family lifestyle habits, diet and nutrition, physical activity and emotional wellbeing.

In addition, the PHA support and deliver a number of population-wide programmes with key partners across government and across sectors to improve and promote healthy eating among children and young people, including:

Food in Schools healthy eating policy and programme;

Minimum Nutritional Standards in schools and Nutrition Education Programmes;

Breastfeeding – A Great Start strategy; and

Choose to Live Better and START campaigns.