Secondary schools are being urged to ensure that all pupils are being taught enough PE.

According to recommendations by the Department of Education, post-primary school students should be provided with two hours of physical education per week.

The Irish Heart Foundation (IHF) and the Federation of Irish Sports (FIS) is now calling on schools to ensure that this recommendation is implemented.

They pointed out that currently, an estimated one in five Irish teenagers is overweight or obese.

Furthermore in an analysis of physical activity levels in 15 countries, that was presented at the Global Summit on Physical Activity of Children in Canada earlier this year, Ireland received a D- grade, coming behind countries such as New Zealand, Mexico and Nigeria.

According to that analysis, which was published in the Journal of Physical Activity and Health, just 12% of Irish secondary school pupils were meeting the Department of Health's guideline of 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity per day. And just 10% of secondary school pupils had PE classes for at least two hours per week.

Commenting on this, Maureen Mulvihill of the IHF emphasised that PE is ‘an intrinsic element in encouraging young people to be physically active'.

"Given the high levels of inactivity in teenagers, increasing levels of overweight and obesity and early signs of heart disease, it is vital that the recommended level of PE is compulsory for all pupils, as is the case across Europe for primary and junior cycle education," she insisted.

The IHF and FIS made their call for more PE at the launch of the Pumped Schools' Video Awards, which is calling on young people to produce a 90-second movie with a heart health theme.

There are three categories - ‘Smoking Stinks', ‘Active Teens - Healthy Hearts' and ‘Weighty Matters'.

The awards are open to all secondary school students aged between 12 and 16. The winner of each category will get €3,000 for their school's sports department and each individual winner will receive a €100 voucher. The closing date for entries is January 16, 2015.

For more information on the awards, click here