The chair of one of Australia's most prominent and influential doctor's groups, the Council of Presidents of Medical Colleges, has called for a national strategy to fight "alarming rates" of obesity on Monday.

"The current lack of a co-ordinated national approach is not acceptable," Laureate Professor Nick Telley said.

"It is alarming how much unhealthy body weight has expanded since the 1970s, when obesity was uncommon."

Around one in four children are obese or overweight in Australia and among adults the figure is two out of three.

Telly believes that a task force co-ordinated by the Commonwealth is required to combat the serious epidemic facing the nation.

Among the the strategies, Telly wants implemented is to reclassifying obesity as a chronic disease to remove stigma, introduce a tax on sugary drinks, incentives for food reformulation, to reduce unhealthy food marketing to children and to improve education for health professionals to ensure a focus on obesity prevention.

With life threatening illnesses like, diabetes, cancer and heart disease on the rise.

"It is time now that Australian health care professionals, organisations, future health care professionals and government at all levels begin looking at what we can do together," Telly said.

source: Xinhua