Both America and the UK are seeing rising rates of childhood obesity, more so in the states but it appears to be a trend in the Western world. I think the most important way to combat childhood obesity is to educate parents. The responsibility for feeding a child is the parent or carer, and therefore there needs to be more education around about the dangers of childhood obesity and the long term effects of obese children. One way to do this would be a government funded scheme on the matter. I would suggest there is a need for educational advertising in the form of television and radio advertisements, as well as on the street presence for a period of time, asking parents to get involved with their kids in cooking lessons or quick activity based education to change their habits. It's too easy to pop ready meals in the oven, or have a drive thru McDonalds for dinner - but perhaps if parents were more aware of the dangers of obese kids, then they would be less likely to choose convenience over health.

The UK government is already displaying a "traffic light" system on ready meals which shows whether they have large, medium or low amounts of sugar and fats in them. They are making it easier for people to make healthier choices, on behalf of themselves and their children. Cookery classes are also held in schools to teach children to cook from scratch. I don't know if these also include lessons on how to make healthier choices but if not, these could be added. It is understandable if working parents are exhausted on weekdays but perhaps they could consider cooking with the kids at weekends, to learn about and explore food together and find how fun cooking and eating healthy food can be.

In order to consider how to combat rising child obesity it’s important to understand the underlying causes. While there may be genetic reasons, crucial factors include lack of physical activity and an unhealthy diet - eating food that is either processed or contains high levels of fat or sugar, and typically referred to as ‘fast’ or ‘convenient’ food.

So the most effective method of combatting this issue would be to begin with encouraging healthier eating. Those responsible for preparing meals often make the excuse that they don’t have the time (or budget) to fret over calory-control. But it doesn’t require a complete revolution in the kitchen to swap processed packages for child-friendly cuisine.

Because this is such a topical issue there are cheap, healthy recipes available everywhere – on websites, on TV, in magazines, on social media – and the emphasis is on providing a diverse range of ingredients. By experimenting with dishes that include fruit and vegetables, or unrefined carbs such as wholemeal bread or brown rice, the blandness of much of the processed fare will soon be highlighted. Kids should be encouraged to join in with meal preparation. This is all about achieving a balance. The occasional bar of chocolate or crisp packet could still be offered as an incentive – perhaps as a weekend treat.

With any diet aimed at reducing obesity, exercise must run in tandem. It’s up to a parent to supervise sedentary time – such as monitoring computer games. Sporting hobbies should be encouraged – although simply letting kids walk to school or local clubs rather than ferrying them everywhere by car is a straightforward solution.

It all comes down to education. To combat rising child obesity rates parents and children need to be educated about nutrition and how much energy/how many calories you actually need every day and the negative effects of consuming too much.

One of the main reasons why obesity is rising in children and adults is because many have no idea how much sugar/fat/uneccessary calories they are actually eating everyday and if they find out, by that time they have already created bad habits which are very difficult to change.

The key is to start educating parents about nutrition/healthy eating at the time of their child(ren)'s birth. Maybe emails/letters sent out to parents with nutritional information/guidelines for every new stage of their child's development, coupled with a website/forum where parents can ask questions, find more information/recipes/calorie counters etc.

Then, to start educating children consistently throughout their school years and involving their parents so that they can develop and continue healthy informed eating habits into adulthood.