Brits must take control of their weight, says Health Secretary

The Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt is urging Britons to take responsibility for their health issues by changing any unhealthy lifestyle habits that may cause obesity.

He also revealed that Britain had made less progress in tackling obesity than the United States.

In Britain around 64 per cent of adults are considered to be overweight and 26 per cent of those are classed as being obese, with a BMI in excess of 30.

According to Public Health England, if these trends continue then 60 per cent of men, 50 per cent of women and 25 per cent of children will be obese by the year 2050.

This statement came as NHS chiefs ordered the first survey into older, overweight women giving birth, following evidence that this is causing more complicated birthing procedures, telegraph.co.uk reports.

Mr Hunt told dailymail.co.uk that the US has an even bigger obesity problem than the UK but they have taken measures to change this - Britain needs to follow suit.

The Health Secretary said: "I think we've got to do some real national soul-searching about whether or not we're going to grip this problem. It's not just government; the government should do more but it's also about choices that people make over their own lifestyles."