The main causes of childhood obesity include a lack of physical activity, poor diet - including high fat and sugary food choices - and family eating habits.

To help overcome this, Dr Bennett encouraged parents to:

Lead by example and start eating healthier options Ensure families eat meals together as often as possible Encourage children to eat a healthy and balanced diet Allow children to choose which activities they want to be involved in Restrict time spent in front of a computer or the TV to two hours a day Make exercise fun and reward children for their efforts.

Additionally, Dr Bennett said MBF had a link to a body mass index (BMI) calculator for children on its website via www.mbf.au/bmi.

"I would strongly encourage parents to consider talking to their GP if their child's BMI is outside the healthy weight range for their age and sex," she said.

*Bupa Australia cares for its customers under the brands MBF, HBA, Mutual Community, ClearView and Bupa Care Services.

The MBF Healthwatch survey was conducted by research consultancy TNS' dedicated healthcare research division. More than 1200 people were surveyed in the study.

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