A Consultant Pediatrician at Crumlin Children’s Hospital says there is no silver bullet to tackling the problem of childhood obesity.

The comments from Declan Cody come after the Fine Gael Senator and former Olympic athlete Eamonn Coughlan suggested that Physical Education – or PE – should be made a compulsory exam subject for both Leaving and Junior Certificate students.

The latest statistics show 1/4 of all 9-year-olds in Ireland are now overweight or obese.

Mr. Cody says although making PE an exam subject is a good idea it is no quick fix solution.

He also believes it should not just be left up to schools to instill a healthier lifestyle into children.