Tackling Treats

START Campaign 2022
16th May 2022- 12th June 2022

START is a public health campaign from safefood, the Departments of Health in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, Healthy Ireland, the Health Service Executive and the Public Health Agency.

Research shows that children are becoming overweight earlier and earlier, with about 6% of three year olds now clinically obese. As a child, being overweight can cause joint and breathing problems, as well as psychological problems such as low self-esteem and lack of confidence. Most worryingly, an obese child is more likely to be obese as an adult which leads to serious health problems such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and certain types of cancer.

The START campaign aims to support families to take small steps to eating healthier food and becoming more active by providing practical support and information to help parents.
The next phase of the campaign will commence from 16 May 2022 and run for 4 weeks with the focus on reducing treats.