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| - Better Health is open to WA kids who are above a healthy weight range. A West Australian program is reversing the trend of childhood obesity by teaching kids and their parents about healthy diet and lifestyle. Australia (also known as ) File:Flag of Australia.svg is one of the fattest nations in the world, with one in four children considered overweight or obese. The success of the State Government-funded Better Health course has prompted calls for a similar program to be rolled out in schools. Pia Ward-Dickson loves sport and looks very fit, but the 13-year-old admitted she had issues with food before participating in the 10-week program. "I didn't eat enough fruit and we definitely ate too much junk food, way too much sugar and fats," she said. Pia said she knew she and her family were not alone in their struggle, with 14 million Australian adults considered overweight or obese. "There's not that many kids who look overweight, but most of them are - it's just that we don't notice because everyone is like that," she said. The Better Health course is open to West Australian kids aged between seven and 13 who are above a healthy weight range. The fact is if you're an overweight or obese child you're very likely to end up an overweight adult. (Michael Gannon, president of the Australian Medical Association's WA branch) Along with their parents, participants attend 20 after-school sessions to learn about portion control, healthy food and reading labels. "We're seeing a lot of children eating high-sugar, high-fat foods, especially in lunch boxes," program manager Hayley Robertson said. "We're also seeing high portion sizes, high levels of screen time and low levels of activity." Almost 300 kids and parents have completed the course since it started last year. "The children are improving their nutrition and eating, they're changing their body shape, we're seeing decreased waistlines, an improved weight for height and improved BMI," Ms Robertson said. On average, children who attended the course did an extra four hours of physical activity every week, while the number of hours they watched television, played video games or spent time on the computer dropped by three hours. Similar programs are running in other states, including New South Wales and Queensland. Better Health participants learn about portion control, healthy food and reading labels. (Better Health) Nicole Giles signed up to the WA course after the family doctor diagnosed her daughter, 12-year-old Shakira Garlett, as borderline diabetic. "That was enough for me to have a big wake-up call to go and do something about her health, watch what she's eating and get more exercise into her life," she said. "Mainly she was eating the wrong things and even if I did (try to) keep it to a limit, she was going off to her room and just sneaking food." Ms Giles said her daughter had come a long way since starting the program. "She wouldn't get out and play basketball before, that would be a laugh for her, but now she wants to get out and do basketball, go for walks to the park and things like that." Calls for a national childhood obesity strategy University of Western Australia childhood obesity expert Gina Ambrosini said the availability of food, heavy marketing of junk food and a more sedentary lifestyle were all contributing to obesity rates. "For parents, it's about arming ourselves with everything we've got and all the info we can get to keep our families health," she said. The president of the Australian Medical Association's WA branch, Michael Gannon, said programs like Better Health were hugely helpful, but the AMA wanted to see a national obesity strategy and a bigger focus on diet, exercise and cooking in Australian schools. "I think it's been an unfashionable thing to teach in schools," he said. "A generation ago, most girls got taught home economics at school [but] I think girls and boys should both be taught how to prepare meals. "The fact is if you're an overweight or obese child, you're very likely to end up an overweight adult and suffer all sorts of problems like infertility, pregnancy problems, arthritis, gall bladder disease [and] high blood pressure."
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