Type in the phrase "child obesity" on any internet search engine and you will be inundated with articles, reports and scientific facts all warning of a cataclysmic rise in the obesity levels of children. The chief medical officer's 2002 annual report states that 8.5 per cent of six-year-olds and 15 per cent of 15-year-olds are obese. Other reports warn that child obesity may mean many premature deaths with parents soon outliving their children as a result. The recent furore over whether to ban junk food advertising has added to the debate.

While these figures are shocking I could not help but wonder: surely children don't suddenly become obese at six and fifteen? Where and when does it all start? I know from my own experience of children that by the age of six, food likes and dislikes are pretty well formed. If by the age of six they do not like vegetables and refuse to eat them, no amount of banning food advertising is likely to tempt them to start eating butternut squash croquets in preference to chicken nuggets. Therein lies the conundrum.

It is apparent to me that child obesity is likely influenced by dietary decisions made from day one. I have found at least one study that suggests that obesity levels of breastfed children are much lower than those that are bottle-fed.

Next comes weaning, which has its own pitfalls. Not all ready-made baby food is as healthy as one may first be led to believe. For example, yoghurts made from follow-on milk, suitable for babies from four months onwards, contains added sugar. I have found only one organic brand that is sugar free, which also happened to be the most expensive. This spurred me to conduct a random survey of ready-made baby foods in packets and jars. The results showed that even organic brands for babies from seven months onwards almost all contain large quantities of added sugar; the worst offender was a packet of rice pudding containing 43 per cent sugar.

The answer appears obvious, only give your baby home cooked, nutritious food. Unfortunately, there are many obstacles faced by parents that prevent this happening. A lack of time, along with barriers faced by parents trying to feed small children in public places. Shops and restaurants are reluctant to heat up home cooked food. Most will only let you warm unopened sterilised food or something purchased on the premises. This is likely to contain excessive sugar and salt and possibly a high fat content. Hardly shocking at all then that by the age of six, 8.5 per cent of children are considered obese.

So, how do we prevent the, current, predictable path to obesity? I would urge you all to promote the case for a food access strategy through local authorities and by lobbying your MP. I firmly believe that only by addressing the cost and availability of nutritional food, better facilities for reheating home cooked food for younger children in restaurants and cafŽs, better education for parents, better food labelling and the positive marketing of healthier foods all incorporated into a comprehensive strategy can we hope to reduce child obesity.