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containing higher levels of saturated fats, sodium (salt) and energy, with less fibre and vitamins, than their home cooked equivalents.

Travel back in time thirty years and children were more likely to be physically active. The distractions available in terms of sedentary activities like video games, movies, hundreds of television channels, and the internet were either minimal or not there. Children tended to amuse themselves by playing with other kids in their neighbourhoods and those games usually involved a fair amount of running. Children were also more likely to walk or ride to school. Safety concerns and the rise in double income households means that children are now more likely to travel to school by car or bus.

Portion distortion. The fast food chains do play their role as they do market aggressively and portion sizes have increased over the years as well as the bundling of family meal type deals that are cheaper than individual items. The documentary "Super Size Me" pointed out the deleterious health effects of relying solely on junk food' for sustenance and thankfully played an important role in introducing healthier eating options in our fast food outlets. Distractions and the lack of quality family time mean that people either eat quickly or absently so that the natural delimiting mechanism of feeling full doesn't get the chance to come into play.

What can be done to reduce childhood obesity?

The first step is to recognise that it is a problem. Society today appears obsessed with being politically correct and telling someone that they are obese is not the done thing. This is where a person's medical practitioner and family and friends come into play. There are tactful ways of raising the issue. Education is an important part of this. We see advertisements on television espousing the evils of tobacco; however the focus on food advertising is more on making healthy choices. Scare campaigns can be effective and State and Federal health authorities should look to advertisements spelling out the risks and consequences of unhealthy eating choices and obesity.

This education program should be mainly directed at parents, but also reinforced in schools. Canteens and dining areas should offer a healthy menu and consider abolishing deep fried or fatty foods altogether. Healthy eating can be effectively included as part of the curriculum in the civic studies or social sciences program. This doesn't mean that the responsibility lies with schools or the authorities.

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