Berlin - Consumer Affairs Minister Horst Seehofer said Thursday that a poor diet and lack of exercise were making German children ill, a day after the government announced plans for a fitness programme to cut obesity rates. Seehofer said there was "a shocking number" of 6,000 new cases a year among children of an obesity related form of diabetes called type II or adult-onset diabetes. This development is likely to continue and lead to "enormous amounts in treatment costs," the minister said in a statement to parliament on heath matters.
Children did not have enough exercise because the spent on average five hours a day watching television, on computers or playing with games consoles, he said.
On Wednesdaythe government launched a programme called "Fit instead of Fat," designed to cut back obesity rates by 2020, particularly among children.
The plan presented to the cabinet by Seehofer and Health Minister Ulla Schmidt calls for healthier food to be served in schools and hospitals and more exercise for children.
The initiative follows figures released by the International Association for the Study of Obesity which showed more than 75 per cent of men in the country, and 59 per cent of women were overweight.
