Parents must tackle obesity, says minister

Families need to combat youngsters' "pester power" for crisps and chocolate to tackle the rising rates of childhood obesity, Melanie Johnson, the Public Health minister, said yesterday.

She spoke out as the Government's Health Development Agency produced a report showing that parents could play the main role in helping children lose weight, rather than a ban on advertising junk food.

Ms Johnson said: "I am a parent myself and I have got a pretty good idea of what the pressures are. I don't want to tell parents what to do, but we are saying that you do make choices when buying things.

"I think it is a question of encouraging children to eat a healthy option whenever possible, and making sure children get exercise. Schools, manufacturers and advertisers have roles to play, but so do parents."

Childhood obesity has more than doubled in the past 20 years. One in seven 15-year-olds and nearly one in 10 six-year-olds are obese. Dame Yve Buckland, chairwoman of the Health Development Agency, said: "Obesity is a timebomb. The research shows that parents can make a huge impact by changing the whole family's approach to diet and healthy lifestyles."

She added: "We are not blaming parents for what has become a national epidemic, and we all understand the pressures parents are under.

"But we pay for the food and we fill our children's lunch boxes. Parents can help by encouraging children to eat fruit and vegetables, but also by eating healthily themselves."

Last week, a report commissioned by the Food Standards Agency showed that advertising affected what children ate. Ministers are now considering whether the advertising of food to children should be banned. But Ms Johnson indicated the Government may be unwilling to take on the powerful food lobby by restricting advertising.