GP Survey: Obesity is Ireland’s greatest health threat

Obesity is the greatest health threat facing the Irish population in the long term, according to GPs.
Some 60 per cent cited ‘obesity’ as the greatest threat in the latest survey of GPs by Irish Medical Times. This was followed by ‘tobacco use’ at 14 per cent and ‘alcohol abuse’ at 11 per cent.

‘Swine flu’ was described as the greatest threat in the short term by 12 per cent, who chose another option as the greatest long-term threat. Another five per cent said the virus alone was the greatest health threat facing the population.
Only four per cent chose ‘mental illness’. Another six per cent said ‘other’. Those mentioned included ‘substance abuse’, ‘mismanagement of the health service’, ‘all of the above’, ‘infectious diseases’, ‘the health service’, ‘the Government’ and ‘Mary Harney’.
Around 38 per cent of Irish adults are overweight, while 23 per cent are obese, according to the SLÁN 2007 report.
Almost one-in-four boys (23 per cent) and more than one-in-four girls (28 per cent) are either overweight or obese, according to figures in the Health Status of the Population of Ireland report 2008.
The survey was conducted in the last week of July this year. One hundred GPs selected at random from across the country were polled for their opinions.