The cost of people being overweight and obese could cost the NHS some £6.3 billion, new figures warn.

The cost of obesity to every Primary Care Trust (PCT) in England stood at £4.2 billion in 2007 and a new Department of Health publication warns this figure could rise.

The new guidelines set out measures by which PCTs and local authorities can help tackle obesity in their areas and help encourage people live healthier lives.

At present, the majority of parents don't recognise that their children are overweight, with only 11.5 per cent acknowledging the problem.

The government also maintains that parents currently underestimate ho much unhealthy they buy as well as overestimating how much exercise their children do.

It is also believed that only 38 per cent of adults know that obesity can lead to heart disease and only six per cent know about the link of being overweight and cancer.

The government is set to launch a new campaign, Change4Life, later this year aimed at encouraging people to live more healthily.

Public health minister Dawn Primarolo said: "Obesity is the biggest health challenge we face - every year 9,000 people die prematurely. And many people simply just don't know that being overweight can lead to major health problems including heart disease and cancer."

Paul Lincoln, chief executive of the National Heart Forum, added: "The new toolkit will help to focus minds in PCTs and local authorities on effectively preventing and tackling obesities and continue to ensure that England's response is leading edge in terms of world wide efforts.
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