One in four kids obese at time of starting school in Britain

London, Oct 8 (UNI) One in four children is obese at the time of starting primary school in Britain, official figures revealed.

A nationwide survey of children's weight, commissioned by the Department of Health, revealed the latest figures which show that on an average a quarter of children are already obese or overweight when they start school at the age of five, the Daily Mail reported.

The findings come as a blow to the government's target of halting the rise in childhood obesity among under-11s by 2010.

Expressing concern over the figures, chairman of the National Obesity Forum, Dr Colin Waine, said ''These figures make disturbing reading when you think about the implications for the future health of these children and the demands they will make on the NHS.

He added that these children are in danger of developing diseases like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer.

Obesity has trebled since the 1980s in Britain.

A spokesman for the Department of Health said ''Tackling childhood obesity is a top priority - through better health education at school and at home, in the wider promotion of healthier living, investing in the bestever sports and PE provision inside and outside school and the Olympics.'' UNI