Almost 17% of young girls in Ireland are on some kind of diet, including one in 10 girls aged just 10 and 11, a new report has found.

The HBSC (Health Behaviour in School-Age Children) Ireland Trends Report 1998-2010 looks at data relating to children aged between 10-17 over a 12-year period.

It found that in 2010, 13.2% of children aged between 10 and 17 were on a diet or doing something else to lose weight. Among girls specifically, this figure rose to almost 17%. Altogether, 10.2% of 10-11 year-olds and 21.6% of 15-17 year-olds were attempting to lose weight.

However, almost 10% of boys were also on a diet, including one in 10 boys aged 10 and 11.

When it came to exercising, just half of children aged 10-17 in 2010 said they exercised at least four times a week. Boys were more likely to exercise at least four times a week - 60% managed it compared to 40% of girls. Those least likely to exercise were girls aged 15-17 (28%). This is despite the fact that this was the group most likely to be on a diet.

When it came to smoking, the report found that the number of young people smoking fell from 21% in 1998 to 11% in 2010. Those most likely to smoke in 2010 were girls aged 15-17 (22%).

When asked if they had ever been drunk, 28% of young people said they had in 2010, a tiny decrease on 1998's figure of 29%. However, while the number of boys who said they had ever been drunk fell from 34% in 1998 to 29% in 2010, it rose among girls during this period, from 24% to almost 27%.

Meanwhile, the number of young people admitting that they felt low at least weekly in the past six months rose from 22% in 1998 to 24% in 2010. The highest rate was among girls aged 15-17 (36%).

The report also found that:
-20% of young people eat fruit more than once a day. However, this indicates that the vast majority of young people are not consuming enough fruit
-81% of young people always wear a seatbelt in cars, a big jump from 1998's figure of 40%. However, this indicates that almost one in five children do not always wear a seatbelt. The lowest use of seatbelts was found among 12-14-year-old boys (77%)
-81% of children said they would find it easy to talk to their mother about something that was bothering them, however only 66% would find it easy to approach their father
-73% of children lived with both parents in 2010 compared to 91% in 1998
-70% of children in 2010 liked school, but 38% felt pressured by school work
-91% of children in 2010 said they were happy with life and 76% reported high life satisfaction
-51% of children in 2010 contacted their friends every day via phone, text or the internet, compared to 30% in 2002. This was highest among girls aged 15-17 (72%).

Commenting on the findings, principal investigator, Dr Saoirse Nic Gabhainn of NUI Galway, said that they bring ‘some good news about the health behaviours of children in Ireland over the years, with a decrease in smoking and in alcohol use for example'.

"Yet still more needs to be done to improve their health, in particular around physical activity," she added.