The course aims to encourage local people to set up groups

The course at Teesside University will be aimed at carers, leisure workers, community workers and commercial weight loss groups.

It will be piloted with Middlesbrough Primary Care Trust and aims to raise awareness of obesity and weight issues.

Organisers believe it will help ease the pressure on the NHS in dealing with the problem of obesity.

Dr Beckie Lang, a research fellow at the university's School of Health and Social Care and her colleague Prof Carolyn Summerbell believe the course, which starts in January, will lead to more locally-run community-based weight management programmes.

More support

Prof Summerbell said: "We've developed it with the Association for the Study of Obesity to increase awareness and understanding of obesity and weight management, especially to people with no formal training in this area.

"There are courses for nurses, medics and other health professionals in Glasgow and Liverpool but ours will be the first for those working in the community."

The findings from a pilot weight management group in the Whinney Banks area of Middlesbrough have been evaluated and used to develop the course.

Dr Lang said: "What we would like to see is more support for local people in local groups to run their own weight management programmes.

"These are the people who know the issues facing people in different areas and there may be different approaches required to running a weight management group in a parish in Devon to those best suited to Middlesbrough or Scotland."