FAMILY doctors have launched a drive to get fat children to take control of their own health.

The Kirklees Get Sussed campaign is linked to a website, www.sussed,uk.net, which offers 11 to 15-year-olds a fun and stimulating source of information about healthy living.

Special features include an interactive quiz, how to read food labels, how to get active and how to make healthy food choices.

Dr Judith Hooper, director of public health for North Kirklees, said: "The importance of combining a healthy diet with physical activity cannot be underestimated.

"We need to do as much as possible to equip young people with the knowledge and skills to be able to make healthy decisions.

"This means helping them to make choices to improve their diet by reducing intakes of fat and sugars and increasing physical activity levels."

Dr Hooper said the website was an excellent resource which was targeted to reach teenagers.

The campaign has been launched in conjunction with the Developing Patient Partnership organisation, a UK health education charity.

Research reveals that more than a third of 11-15-year-olds were worried they might put on too much weight over Christmas and three out of four thought their diet would be fairly unhealthy during the holidays.

Losing weight is top of the list for more than a quarter of 11-15-year-olds of things to change about their health, after being able to run faster and having fewer coughs and colds.

Work to encourage people to be more active and eat healthier is taking place in North Kirklees.

* The North Kirklees Primary Care NHS Trust is a partner in the Kirklees `five-a-day' project which promotes the importance to children and their families of eating five portions of fruit and vegetables every day.

* The Young PALS (Practice Activity and Leisure Scheme) encourages young people who are overweight and obese tot take part in physical activity.

* The primary care trust and Kirklees Council has been selected as one of 10 national pilot programmes for a LEAP (Local Exercise Action Pilot) which will be launched next year. A key element is to work with overweight and obese children and young people.

Other health promotion initiatives include working with schools to tackle diet and activity.

Opportunities for physical activity in Kirklees can be found on the website www.energisekirklees.co.uk