The HDA report, The management of obesity and overweight, said 8.6 per cent of six-year-olds were obese. But it said parents and schools could improve their children's diet and encourage them to exercise more.
HDAchair Dame Yve Buckland said, 'The good news is that the evidence shows parents can successfully treat their child's obesity by actively changing the whole family's approach to diet and physical activity and by avoiding couch-potato lifestyles.
'The myriad of child-focused food advertising is a real challenge, but parents can fight back - it's them paying at the check-out, not their children.'
The researchers analysed reviews of diet, physical activity and behavioural approaches to child obesity and overweight children. They found that a number of combined preventative strategies in schools had proved successful, especially with girls, including nutrition education, promoting physical activity, reducing sedentary behaviour, and making changes to school meals and food in tuck shops.
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