SDG 2.1.1: Prevalence of Undernourishment is published by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). These data are classified as Tier 2 in the Tier Classification for Global SDG Indicators (See Background Notes), as they are not regularly produced by countries.
The prevalence of undernourishment in Ireland was estimated to be 2.5% in 2017 and this estimate has not changed since 2000. See Table 1.1.
SDG 2.1.2 Prevalence of Moderate or Severe Food Insecurity in the Population, Based on the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES), is measured by the proportion of the population lacking one or more food items, reported in the CSO Survey of Income and Living Conditions (SILC). These data are classified as Tier 2 in the Tier Classification for Global SDG Indicators.
There is no national definition or measure of food poverty in Ireland. Published research in a paper titled 'Constructing a Food Poverty Indicator for Ireland using the Survey on Income and Living Conditions' (Authors: Carney, C and Maître, B (2012), Social Inclusion Technical Paper No. 3, Dublin and Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection) constructed a food poverty indicator using deprivation indicators from the CSO’s SILC. The paper proposes a composite measure of food poverty based on a lack of one or more of three food deprivation items. This methodology showed that 10% of the Irish population was in food poverty in 2010.
The CSO recently updated the figures based on a lack of one or more food deprivation items reported in the CSO SILC Survey.
The at risk of food poverty rate was 8% in 2018, showing a constant decrease since 2013 when it was 13.3%.
The at risk of food poverty rate was highest in the Eastern and Midland region at 8.8% See Table 1.2 and Map 1.1.
SDG 2.2.1 Prevalence of Stunting (Height for Age <-2 Standard Deviation from the Median of the World Health Organization (WHO) Child Growth Standards) Among Children Under 5 Years of Age was sourced from the National Pre-School Nutrition Survey (NPNS), Irish Universities Nutrition Alliance (IUNA) in 2012. These data are classified as Tier 2 in the Tier Classification for Global SDG Indicators.
Table 1.3 shows young children in Ireland aged 1 year to 4 years and their standard deviations from the mean height in 2012. The highest standard deviation from the mean height was 5.2 cm for children aged 2 years.
SDG 2.2.2 Prevalence of Malnutrition (Weight for Height >+2 or <-2 Standard Deviation from the Median of the WHO Child Growth Standards) Among Children Under 5 Years of Age, by Type (Wasting and Overweight) is a global indicator but in Ireland as malnutrition is a not a significant problem, we present the data below as more relevant for this indicator. The data was sourced from the National Pre-School Nutrition Survey (NPNS), Irish Universities Nutrition Alliance (IUNA) in 2012. These data are classified as Tier 2 in the Tier Classification for Global SDG Indicators.
As stated in the report the assessment of overweight and obesity in pre-school children is complex as rapid changes in BMI occur during normal growth. Ideally, a child's growth and development is monitored over time; however prevalence of overweight and obesity can also be assessed by applying cut-offs to age and gender specific BMI charts. These charts compare a child's BMI to the BMI distribution of a reference sample of children of the same age. Cut-offs are then used to define the weight of the child. One year old children are excluded from this analysis as it is deemed inaccurate to apply these approaches to this age group.
Although there are 2 different approaches described in the NPNS report we chose to present the proportion of Irish children aged 2-4 years classified as overweight and obese using the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) age and gender specific BMI cut-offs. These cut-offs are used to define thinness, overweight and obesity in children aged between 2-18 years. IOTF cut-offs are based on pooled international data for BMI and are linked to the widely accepted adult definition. See Table 1.4.
Overall in 2012, 80% of 2-4 year old children were classified as normal weight using IOTF criteria. 2% were classified as thin, whereas 15% were defined as overweight and 3% as obese.
A similar percentage of girls were classified as normal weight (81%) compared to boys (80%) but a slightly higher percentage of girls were defined as overweight or obese (19%) compared to boys (16%).
Only 10% of 4 year olds were classified as overweight and none were classified as being obese; whereas 13% and 22% of 2 and 3 year olds were classified as being overweight respectively, and a further 4% were classified as obese. Such fluctuation in prevalence reflect the rapid changes in BMI that occur during normal growth and development. See Table 1.4.
| SDG 2.2.2 Prevalence of Malnutrition Among Children Under 5 Years of Age, 2012 | |
| Thin | 2 |
| Normal | 80 |
| Overweight | 15 |
| Obese | 3 |
Information regarding the prevalence of childhood obesity in Ireland is also extrapolated from both the Growing up in Ireland (GUI) 2017 longitudinal study coordinated by the ESRI and WHO-Europe Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative. Childhood obesity is high in Ireland by international standards, indicating that a high proportion of children in Ireland are overweight or obese.
According to the Healthy Weight for Children (0-6 years) Framework, November 2018 which is published by the Health Service Executive overweight and obesity are defined as "abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that presents a risk to health". Body Mass Index (BMI) is considered to be the best available population marker for monitoring trends in overweight and obesity. BMI is calculated from the formula, weight in kg/height in m2. In adult populations, overweight and obesity are defined at the cut-off points of 25kg/m2 and 30kg/m2. However, the cut-off points for children are different and vary according to age and sex. This is because as they grow, the bodies of children undergo a number of physiological changes during which body fat content changes with significant difference between boys and girls.
The November 2018 Report states that all of the available data indicate that a high proportion of children in Ireland are overweight or obese and the main findings from the GUI study include:
Birth weights of live born infants in Ireland:
The birth weight of all 65,869 live births in Ireland in 2015 is reported by the National Perinatal Reporting System (NPRS) in the Perinatal Statistics Report 2015:
Levels of obesity are forecast to increase globally and Ireland could have one of the highest rates of obesity in Europe by 2030 according to the 2018 Report on Tackling Childhood Obesity which is a written submission from the Health Service Executive to the joint Committee on Children and Youth Affairs.
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