Two thirds of British men are overweight or obese

Diet and exercise is one of the key issues covered in the document.

What does the government plan to do?

• An independent task force will look at the best ways to prevent and treat obesity.

• A big emphasis is being placed on schools, which will be tasked with providing healthier meals, free fruit and sport both within and outside of school hours.

• Children will be encouraged to cycle to school and adults to get active at work.

• By mid 2005, processed foods will be clearly labelled to indicate fat, sugar and salt content for shoppers.

• Government will work with the food industry to draw-up a voluntary code to restrict the advertising of high fat and sugar foods to children.

• Voluntary restrictions on "junk food" advertising to children. Legislation would be considered in 2007 if those measures fell short of what the government wants.

What are the health risks?

The World Health Organization has described obesity as "one of the greatest neglected public health problems of our time with an impact on health which may well prove to be greater than smoking".

Being obese is linked to a range of health risks.

The National Obesity Forum says obesity is thought to cause 10% of cancers in non-smokers. In addition, death rates from all cancers were 52% higher in men who were morbidly obese and 62% higher in women. Obesity is specifically linked to an increased risk of breast, endometrial and colon cancers

Eighty per cent of people with Type 2 diabetes are obese, and the risk of developing the condition increases if people are overweight.

Research quoted by the NOF in its submission to this year's Health Select Committee report on obesity showed obese people are twice as likely to die from cardiovascular disease as people of a healthy weight.

Obesity is also linked to an increased risk of gall bladder disease, sleep apnoea, high blood pressure, osteoarthritis, polycystic ovaries and foetal defects associated with maternal obesity.

Overall, being obese is linked with a nine year reduction in life expectancy.

Obesity is calculated using a formula known as the Body Mass Index (BMI). It is a measure based on height and weight that applies to both adult men and women.

BODY MASS INDEX Underweight: less than 20 Normal weight: 20-25 Overweight: 25 - 29.9 Obese: over 30 Morbidly obese: over 40

To calculate your BMI, divide your weight in kilograms by the square of your height in metres.

A BMI of 25 to 29.9 is considered overweight and one of 30 or above is considered obese. A BMI of over 40 is considered to be morbidly obese.

How many people are affected?

According to the Health Development Agency, the prevalence of obesity has virtually trebled over the last 20 years. In 1980, 8% of adult women and 6% of adult men were classed as obese.

By 2001, 21% of men and 23.5% of women were obese.

In total, nearly two thirds of men and over half of women were overweight or obese.

And 8.5% of six-year-olds and 15% of 15-year-olds were found to be obese, according to the 2001 data.

If current trends continue, at least one third of adults and one fifth of boys and a third of girls will be obese by 2020.

The estimated cost to the economy in England is �3.7bn a year, including �49m for treating obesity, �1.1bn for treating the health consequences and �1.45bn for sickness absence.

In terms of exercise, a report from the Chief Medical Officer for England, Sir Liam Donaldson, estimated three in four women and three in five men did not do enough.

Is it getting worse?

Yes. The HDA warns that if current trends continue, it is predicted that three-quarters of the population could suffer the ill effects of excess weight within 10 to 15 years.

The annual cost would probably increase by a third, to around �3.6 billion.

People are getting heavier, statistics show

The 'obesity epidemic' has been linked to high fat and sugar levels in many convenience and mass-produced foods, and so-called 'super-sized' portions.

But a significant factor is that modern life is more sedentary than ever before.

Fifties housewives actually ate more calories than women today - but they were significantly slimmer because their daily lives involved far more physical activity.

What did campaigners want?

The National Obesity Forum and the British Medical Association called for action to tackle obesity in schools.

Both touted the idea that schools should encourage pupils to take more exercise. The BMA suggested imposing a minimum requirement of 2-3 hours a week - and called for action to preserve and develop playing fields and recreational facilities to make it possible.

Safe cycling networks should be encouraged, the BMA argued, and the government should legislate for the compulsory wearing of cycle helmets.

Both groups also agreed on the need to ban junk food advertisements specifically aimed at children, and for action to promote healthy diets, The BMA said food labelling should be made more informative.

The National Obesity Forum called for the government to appoint a 'Fat Czar' to develop a central strategy to tackle obesity, and a National Service Framework along the same lines as those already in place to combat major disease.

The BMA is also calling for a children's food bill, and for schools to take action to promote healthy diets.

It also wants government action on ensure informative food labelling.

The Royal College of GPs called for tax breaks to be offered on sports activities to encourage overweight and obese people to exercise.

Many of these ideas were reflected in a report by the Health Select Committee, an influential body of MPs, which set out proposals for a new labelling system for food, lessons for school children on healthy eating, restrictions on food advertising and a national campaign to try to get people to exercise more.