70% of Wolverhampton adults overweight or obese

Health chiefs today launched an unprecedented campaign to tackle the 'ticking time bomb' of the city's obesity crisis.

A call to action has been made to the NHS, schools and the council to join forces and solve what bosses said was the biggest health issue facing Wolverhampton.

In the annual Wolverhampton Public Health Report released today, the obesity epidemic is laid bare in a series of shocking figures.

• Thirteen per cent of five-year-olds are obese, rising to a quarter when they leave primary school

• More than 50 per cent of people do no physical activity at all

• Almost half of the city will be obese by 2020

• The figure of just under 70 per cent of adults being overweight or obese is one of the worst in the country and way above national and West Midlands averages

In a bid to combat the widespread problem an 'obesity summit' will be held later this year where health and education groups, businesses and the council are asked to pledge their support to the cause.

Youngsters in particular will be targeted by the long-term strategies to be implemented, with an action plan being put together in the coming months.

Public Health director Ros Jervis said the issue was at crisis point.

But she warned there was 'no quick fix' and that simply telling people to eat less and do more exercise was not the answer.

"We've got a massive challenge in Wolverhampton – it's a ticking time bomb," she said.

"The data on children is particularly concerning.

"If a quarter of our children are obese now, what is the situation going to be in 10 or 20 years time?

"We've got to act now.

"We've got to create momentum for change.

"This is about calling out to everyone in Wolverhampton to join them together to be motivated to change this city."

Just 28 per cent of Wolverhampton's adults are classed as being at a healthy weight.

But 41 per cent are overweight – and 28 per cent are obese.

All age groups will be included in the action plan being formulated, which is likely to involve programmes looking at diet, exercise and cultural change.

Ms Jervis said that only by getting the NHS, the council, schools, businesses and the voluntary sector singing from the same hymn sheet would real differences be made in the city's obesity fight.

"It's going to take us all putting our heads together to try and solve it," she added.

"We don't want to start something that peters out afterwards – we want to create momentum for sustained behavioural change.

"I'm not sure anything has been done on this sort of scale before."

The obesity summit – the first of its kind in Wolverhampton – will be held in October.

• What do you think? Does Wolverhampton have a weight issue? What can be done? Join the debate in the comments section below.