By 2050, that figure could rise to as much as 90 per cent.

The Government has now launched a nationwide advertising campaign to encourage people to make a Change4Life – and it is starting with young families.

Government advisers say the issues of modern day life, such as increasing reliance on cars, desk jobs and the abundance of food are making it more difficult to maintain a healthy weight.

We are also getting less exercise. Statistics show 12 per cent of children and young people in Northamptonshire are not getting at least two hours PE a week in school and 10 per cent of under-15s are not in
good health.

The cost to the NHS of increasing obesity levels is set to reach £50bn – half the entire NHS budget for a year – by 2050.

That is why the Government has launched a series of TV adverts and posters as part of its Change4Life campaign in a bid to turn the rising tide of obesity.

Public Health Minister Dawn Primarolo said: "Change4Life has a critical ambition. We are trying to create a lifestyle revolution on a huge scale – something which no Government has attempted before.

"The extent of the obesity problem demands an ambitious and innovative approach that has not been tried before. We have adopted ideas from successful movements such as Make Poverty History and Comic Relief which involves a wide range of partners, local organisations, commercial companies, charities and, of course, millions of people.

"Change4Life is supportive, informative and reassuring – it's not about telling families what to do and what to eat. We want families to engage with the campaign and understand that obesity is not someone else's problem – it's all of our problem."

Many parents don't even realise there is a problem with their child's health - just 11.5 per cent of parents with overweight or obese children recognise it.

Many families tend to use snacks as rewards, to appease boredom or to deal with conflict, and yet only 38 per cent of adults know that obesity can lead to heart disease and only six per cent knew about the link between being overweight and cancer.

So why are our children becoming so unhealthy?

Dr Stephen Horsley, the county's director of public health, said: "I think there is a lot of pressure on parents to buy fatty foods and they don't take as much exercise nowadays. Before, we used to walk our children to school but now we take the car.

"The other problem is children are not allowed to play out as much as they used to be. These are all factors which mean they don't take as much exercise or have a good diet."

Dr Horsley said: "We need to think positively about how we can make sure our children don't get too much fat in their diets. We are not saying don't have these things – it is about moderation. We don't need lots of convenience foods or takeaways, we ought to give them home cooked meals. And we should be giving them fruit and their five a day. "In terms of exercise, we ought to take our children for a walk. It doesn't cost anything and we have some lovely parks here in Northamptonshire.

"There are also lots of football clubs and other sporting activities that don't cost a lot and we should be taking advantage of them."


Find out more about the Change4Life campaign at www.nhs.uk/Change4Life.