Stamping out obesity among North-East school-children is the focus of a major new Government initiative launched today. The scheme being rolled out in 500 pilot schools across the region is part of a £2.2m drive to tackle the epidemic. Projects include a crack down on unhealthy foods in school tuck shops and vending machines, fruit schemes and healthy breakfasts. Healthier Cookery Clubs will be set up in 42 schools in the North-East and North-West to teach children how to cook healthy and tasty meals. Parents will be taught how they can make their children's lunchboxes more healthy, with fewer sugary and salty high-fat foods. The initiative comes amid increasing concerns about youngsters becoming more and more overweight and the consequences this will have on their health in the future, including an increased risk of heart problems, cancer and diabetes. Figures show that one in 12 children is obese by the age of six. This increases to one in seven by the time they are 15. Susan Pinder is the ischaemic heart disease and chronic disease prevention co-ordinator at Sunderland Teaching Primary Care Trust. She said: "Today's lifestyles mean we eat more convenience foods which are high in fat and sugar, and are doing less exercise. In the North-East we are seeing a rise in obesity among children similar to the rest of the UK. "A number of strategies are in place to try to counteract it, such as the five-a-day scheme and fruit in schools which encourage children to eat more fruit and vegetables. "Tackling all these problems will require a multi-agency approach. "But this is not just about educating the children. "We have to educate adults as well because it means a whole lifestyle change." Steven Singleton, Medical Director of the Northumberland, Tyne and Wear Strategic Health Authority, said the devastating effects on health caused by obesity were "at least as large if not larger" than smoking and poverty. "We need to work towards a whole change in attitude towards diet and exercise and we need to start those changes now," he said. The results of the pilot Food In Schools schemes will be used to develop a nationwide approach to promote healthy eating in schools. The crack down on unhealthy vending machines will be a particular challenge to schools who can get an income of up to £15,000 a year from sales. Other pilots among the eight outlined by the Department of Health focus on educating children about what is in their foods and where they come from. Another project will see schools working to improve access to water for children because of its benefits for health, concentration and behaviour. Most importantly, the projects are aimed at encouraging family and community participation. In this way, it is hoped the healthy-eating message will be reinforced at home, benefiting not only the children themselves but also siblings, parents and grandparents. Public Health Minister Melanie Johnson said it was "vital" to tackle obesity - which is responsible for 31,000 deaths a year - before it was too late. "Children who are overweight or obese face greater risks of developing serious illness later in life, such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer. "We said we'd help children to eat more healthily and through programmes like the £44m National School Fruit Scheme, nearly one million four to six-year-olds are now receiving a free piece of fruit each school day. "This new drive builds further on these commitments." Last month the International Obesity Task Force warned that more than 40pc of the population could be obese within a generation. The National Audit Office has predicted that by 2010 obesity will cost £3.6bn a year in England. How we're losing our figures so quickly Latest figures on obesity in the North-East show that: * Almost a third of youngsters aged from two to 15 in the UK are classed as overweight, an increase of 50pc compared to the mid-90s. * Around 16pc of these children are classed as obese. * Obesity in adults has trebled in the last 20 years, with 21pc of men and 23.5pc of women being clinically obese compared to 8pc of women and 6pc of men in 1980. * A further 47pc of men and 33pc of women are overweight. * Between 1996 and 2001, the proportion of overweight children aged six to 15 increased by 7pc. * The International Obesity Task Force warned earlier this month that over 40pc of the UK population could be obese `within a generation'. * Children spent £433m on sweets, crisps and fizzy drinks on their journeys to and from school in 2002. This has soared from a figure of £365m in 2000. * 8pc of children have nothing to eat before they go to school. | 
Northumberland
