Fifth of 11-year-olds 'are obese'

At least a fifth of all 11-year-old children in five West Midlands boroughs are obese, according to NHS figures.

The problem is worst in Sandwell, where 23.9% of children are obese.

In Wolverhampton 22.3% of 11-year-olds are obese, in Birmingham the figure is 22.1%, in Dudley it is 20.1% and in Walsall the number is 20%.

The figures are above the 18.3% average for England. Helen Mercer, a dietician at Heartlands Hospital in Birmingham, said poor diets were to blame.

Fresh ingredients

She said: "I think there is a common misconception that healthy food is more expensive.

"I think we have to do a lot of work with people to try and improve their confidence, to feel that they can prepare food from fresh ingredients without using processed foods."

The national average for obese 11-year-olds in England is 18.3%, according to figures provided by Birmingham University.

Elsewhere in the West Midlands, the picture is slightly better in Coventry, where 18.8% of Year Six children are obese.

In Solihull the figure is 14.1%.