Obesity rife in Victoria

VICTORIAN children are the fattest in the country, putting them at higher risk of obesityrelated cancers, experts say.

Almost one in three Victorian children, or 216,600, are now overweight or obese, according to latest Australian Institute of Health and Welfare figures. And childhood obesity rates are climbing higher than any other state, prompting calls for a state strategy to reverse the trend.

“If obesity rates continue to rise, we could be resigning our children to a lifetime of obesity-related illnesses,” the Cancer Council Victoria said.