According to a comprehensive study by a leading thinktank, 20.2% of the teenage children of corporate staff are too fat while the same is true of only 6.3% of the offspring of army and naval personnel.

The surprise findings indicate that, contrary to conventional wisdom, socio-economic background is not the most significant factor in determining obesity. A parent’s interest in sport, however, had a noticeable influence on their children’s fitness.

Talking to 3,527 children in 80 secondary schools, the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) asked what the children’s parents’ employment was and whether they participated in sport. The research revealed that children of professionals were just as likely to be overweight as those of a skilled or semi-skilled worker, at 17.2% and 17.8% respectively. “When you allow for sampling, there isn’t any great relationship between social class background and the weight of children,” says Tony Fahey, author of the report.

The findings have been backed up by other researchers in the field. “The parental role model is crucial,” says Dr Deirdre Murray, author of Our Children, Their Future, Why Weight? “You might expect an army officer to be interested in physical activity so it would follow that their children are more likely to be active. In all other aspects of life, parental example is highly important. We’ve seen it with alcohol and cigarettes — we know that, so why would it be any different for exercise?”

The high level of fitness required from the Defence Forces appeared to have a significant knock-on effect on the children of members. “We have a health and fitness test every year,” says Capt Sean O Fatharta, Defence Forces spokesperson. “You have to pass this before being eligible to do any career courses or go overseas.”

For one mother in Ranelagh, her children’s participation in sport is comparable to her own experience. “When I went to school I didn’t get involved with sport until secondary level when I became passionate about it,” says Bernadette Ryan, whose husband coaches the Beechwood soccer club. “I can see with my son it’s the same — he has just gone into secondary school and it’s really kicked off for him.”

The study, which also surveyed 137 schools and 3,833 pupils at primary level, found that one in five children at secondary level were overweight or obese. In fifth and sixth classes in primary schools, the levels were similar: 3.8% of boys and 4.3% of girls are obese, and a further 15.7% of boys and 15.8% of girls are overweight.

Curricular activity depends largely on facilities and availability of qualified teachers — 20% of secondary schools lack a PE teacher. In primary schools, facilities are usually worse.

Parental influence, along with gender and stage at school, has a crucial influence on the level of extra-curricular activity undertaken by a child.

Over 60% of fifth and sixth class students watch two hours or more of television every day. The same applies to up to 40% of secondary students.

Activity, however, has been shown to have only a slight link with the risk of being overweight or obese. Among primary students, for example, 88% of overweight and 86% of obese children participated in sport four or more days a week, as did 90% of normal weight children.

“You find a lot of overweight children who play sport and a lot of normal weight children who play no sport,” says Fahey. “You sometimes get a situation where a child has played an hour of football but then eats crisps and a can of coke — they cancel out the exercise they’ve taken. Energy intake is much more important than expenditure. The focus needs to be on the diet. That certainly seems to be the case for children.”

Dr Murray agrees that activity levels cannot be held solely responsible for overweight children: “The only thing that affects weight is a multi-faceted approach, where diet, education and exercise work together.

“While physical activity mightn’t have a direct corollary to obesity, we found that it’s crucial for the general wellbeing and development of the child,” says Fahey. “Boys in particular, really like sport and it makes them enthusiastic about school.”

Other factors affecting children’s body mass included whether the child was at a fee-paying school. Body mass tended to be lower in these children, though Fahey said this pattern was not pronounced and he did not attribute it to the socio-economic background of the parents: “There are better provisions in well-off schools and that could be the reason.”

Explore World News

• Iraq News

• US & Americas News

• Europe News

• Middle East News

• Asia News

• Africa News

• Ireland News

Times Recommends

• Betancourt euphoria fades in media backlash
• Tablet 'casts doubt on resurrection of Jesus'
• S&M madam: Nazi claims are rubbish