Obese Midlanders problem tackled

There are more obese women in the West Midlands than the rest of the UK

Health experts are meeting in Birmingham to discuss the problem of obesity in the West Midlands.

Twenty-nine per cent of women in the region are obese - the highest rate in the country - while 70% of men are predicted to be obese by 2050.

The Department of Health figures show 31% of Stoke-on-Trent adults and 19% of Telford and Wrekin children are obese.

In Worcester, 48% of those aged 16 or over take less than 30 minutes exercise each week.

The problem was being discussed at a conference at the Botanical Gardens, in Birmingham, on Monday.

It has been organised by Living Well West Midlands, a Lottery-funded programme supported by the West Midlands Regional Assembly.