Childhood obesity battle 'should be fought in schools', says academic

Schools should fight to combat the rising problem of overweight and obese children, it has been suggested.

Speaking at the European Society of Cardiology conference in Munich yesterday, Professor Martin Wabitsch of the University of Ulm highlighted the role that school staff can play in combating this problem.

"Teachers should have a new role as a role model to guide the children's behaviour in a way that parents no longer do," he stated.

Professor Wabitsch noted that research in Germany has found that giving children the opportunity to exercise for at least an hour a day can decrease the instance of obesity by a third.

There is currently only around two hours a week of school time allocated to physical education in England.

In the wake of the UK's success at the Olympic Games this year and ahead of London 2012, Gordon Brown recently pledged to train more PE teachers and invest more in sports in schools.