A new “Healthy Weight” campaign has been launched by Government in a bid to reduce the number of weight-related diseases.
Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly and Minister for Public Health, Well Being and National Drugs Strategy Frank Feighan launched the campaign, which is developed under the Healthy Ireland Framework.
Research has shown that weight gain is influenced by multiple factors such as environment, access to healthy and affordable food, physical activity, genetic make-up, and lifestyle.
This campaign aims to support people to prevent weight gain in their 20s and 30s by focussing on four pillars – sleep, stress, physical activity and nutrition.
Minister Donnelly said, “All of us in Government have a role in addressing overweight and obesity, the underlying causes of which are impacted by national policy and action across a wide range of areas. Many of the influencing factors lie outside our own individual control, such as accessibility and affordability of healthy food, socio-economic stressors and the built environment.
“This campaign forms part of a series of initiatives by Healthy Ireland to address overweight and obesity in the adult population, with this particular element raising awareness of the heightened risk of developing overweight and obesity as people move through young adulthood.”
Minister Feighan said, “The aim of this campaign is to share information about behaviours that can affect weight while also supporting people to be and feel healthier. Preventing weight gain is about so much more than simply eating less and exercising more. Weight gain can happen for many reasons and supportive environments can empower individuals to make healthier choices the most accessible choices. This campaign will empower individuals to pursue habits that can help to prevent weight gain.”
The Interim Chief Medical Officer, Prof Breda Smyth said, “Science shows that weight gain is influenced by a wide range of factors, some of which are beyond our control, like genetics and environmental factors. Even with the same eating habits or the same amount of physical activity, people can have different body shapes and weights. The four pillars identified in this campaign are important in that they shift the focus onto a wider range of factors including sleep and stress that will help those in their 20s and 30s to prevent weight gain.”
The HSE’s Clinical Lead for Obesity, Prof Donal O’Shea said, “Today is an important day as we launch this campaign, which, in many ways is a world first – because the emphasis is so clearly on prevention of weight gain.
“We want to communicate to people in their mid-twenties the risks and opportunities that the following decade presents when it comes to maintaining the healthiest weight you can. Eating healthily, keeping active, managing stress and sleeping well are core habits that can help us prevent weight gain as we move through this stage of life – and that would be a massive investment in your future self.”
Dr Gary Kearney, interim CEO, safefood added, “Our 20s and 30s is a pivotal time when we’re setting up healthy habits for the rest of our lives. At safefood we know that young people are really looking for help to cut through the many conflicting messages they’re receiving about the food they eat. Our advice, developed by nutritionists in line with our national healthy eating guidelines, is simple and easy to follow. You can find out more by searching ‘safefoodTV’ on YouTube or visiting www.safefood.net/healthy-eating.”
The Healthy Weight campaign will share practical, expert information about behaviours that can affect weight, in order to support adults to be and feel healthier. These behaviours include good nutrition and eating well, managing stress, sleeping well and engaging in regular physical activity.
The campaign is aimed at 25 to 34-year-olds and will be hosted on social media including Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.
It was developed by Healthy Ireland in partnership with safefood and the HSE’s Health Promotion team.