Less than half of Irish parents know what weight their children are, while just 7% feel that their children may be overweight, new data has shown.

According to the latest Pfizer Health Index, just 47% of parents know what weight their children are and the vast majority do not think they are overweight, despite the fact that currently, one in four children in Ireland is overweight or obese.

When asked if their children were undertaking 60 minutes of physical activity per day - the recommended daily amount - just 20% of parents said that their children were achieving this. The average was 60 minutes per day four times a week.

"One in four of our children is currently overweight or obese, yet because the norm has changed we are not recognising this reality. Children's social, emotional and physical health is being harmed. We as a society must partner with industry and the Government to turn the tide on childhood obesity in Ireland as a matter of priority," commented Dr Cliodhna Foley-Nolan of Safefood.

Parents were also asked about the use of screens in their home. The average length of time children spend looking at various screens each day is two hours and 16 minutes according to these findings.

Some 15% of children bring a screen, such as a smartphone or tablet, to bed with them, and 24% of parents have no rule in relation to screens in bed.

"Modern technology is undoubtedly impacting on the health of our family unit and we can see that children are more sedentary than before. There has been exponential growth in the use of screens particularly with mobiles and tablets and in Ireland we currently have more mobile phones than we do people.

"While technology is a powerful tool, it is important that parents aim to be in charge of the use of that technology, rather than technology being in charge of you," said family psychotherapist, Dr John Sharry.

The health index also looked at family health in general. It asked parents to rank health priorities for their children. The biggest priority for parents was that their children reached their developmental milestones (31%). The second most important priority was that their children would have access to GP care (29%).

Other areas that were seen as priorities by parents included the social development of their child, including developing friendships, educational performance and having their children vaccinated.

This is the 11th annual Pfizer Health Index to be carried out. This year's index was based on a survey of over 1,200 people aged 16 and older. It was undertaken by Behaviour & Attitudes in April.