Ireland On Course to Be Most Obese Country in Europe By 2030

New figures from the World Health Organisation (WHO) show that Ireland is on track to become the most obese country in Europe by 2030.

Professor Donal O'Shea, an expert on obesity in Ireland, has stated that the latest statistics from the WHO makes for worrying reading, as it seems that Ireland is now on course to become the fattest country in Europe by the year 2030.

While the Healthy Ireland framework would go a long way to dealing with the situation, speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Professor O'Shea stated that unless it's implemented, "it's just another document sitting on a shelf", and more action needs to be taken.

The report, which has not yet been released, projects that there will be a huge increase in obesity in the continent as a whole, with 89% of Irish men projected to fall into the overweight or obese category, while 85% of women will similarly be classed as overweight if things continue as they are.

In particular, the obesity rate for women is expected to soar from 23% to 57%, while Ireland's men will sit atop the table of the most obese in Europe, eventually passing out Uzbekistan. 

Obesity rates in other European countries are also predicted to grow, but Professor O'Shea said that the data reported from the UK and Ireland is likely to be more accurate, as they actually measured participants, while the remaining 51 countries did not.

O'Shea stated that Ireland is leading this trend as "we have a particular environment where physical activity has gone off a cliff edge", with adolescents and younger women in particular being highlighted as groups whose levels of physical activity has dropped off.

Do you agree that Ireland is getting less and less active, or are you an avid gym goer?

Via RTÉ News. Main pic via Tony Alter/Flickr