PLENTIFUL food, easy transport and office-bound jobs - our pampered Western lifestyle - has led to obesity levels trebling since the 1980s. With National Obesity Week just finishing, Melanie Hall and John Brennan examine the cost of easy living in the developed world.

IN a way, it was inevitable that rapid advances in technology would lead to people piling on the pounds.

After all, why walk or cycle when you can drive? Why pop out to the shops or the bank when everything can be done online?

And why slave over a hot stove when you can drive five minutes down the road to McDonalds?

But the shocking fact is that obesity levels in Britain have trebled in the past 20 years and more deaths are attributed to being severely overweight here than anywhere else in Europe.

Just look at the craze surrounding the Atkins diet for an example of how weight issues are dominating people's lives.

Apart from robbing a person of their self-confidence and causing depression, obesity can lead to chronic health conditions such as diabetes, coronary heart disease, reproductive disorders, breast and colon cancer, respiratory disease, osteoarthritis and high blood pressure.

And the cost to the taxpayer? In 1998, the direct and indirect cost to the nation was £2.6bn and is expected to rise to £3.6bn by 2010.

Jane Holmes has been managing Weight Watchers clubs in Worcester for the past 18 months. She says around 500 people turn up for the eight clubs held around the city every week - and that the numbers are growing.

"People are getting bigger. The average size for a woman now is 16," said Mrs Holmes. "More clubs are springing up every year because the need is there."

She believes the problem stems from people not being able to learn good habits from their family.

"With the lifestyles people have nowadays people don't sit down to meals as families. That obviously leads to bad eating habits and that's why the Government is so concerned at the moment," said Mrs Holmes, who also manages meetings in Malvern, Bromyard and Upton-upon-Severn.

"When I was younger we all sat down for a meal together. That's when you can teach healthy eating - it's got to come from the parents."

When that pattern of learning breaks down, it is groups like Weight Watchers that step in to provide what Mrs Holmes calls "re-education".

"People have got to be taught how to eat healthily," she said. "It's about promoting a healthy eating lifestyle and it takes quite a long time to get that through to people.

"We hear of so many different diets, like Atkins and all the others, but the only way forward is to learn about sensible eating."

One beneficiary of that line of thinking is Suzette Brunsdon.

Mrs Brunsdon, of Falmouth, Warndon Villages, lost four stones by following her programme. She is now a "team leader" inspiring others to lose weight after keeping her weight down for the last three years.

"It was really awful. I had no confidence and I didn't want to dress or look the way I wanted to," said Mrs Brunsdon. "But my life is completely different after dropping the weight. Now I feel more confident and good about myself."

During National Obesity Awareness week last week, calls were made for radical new measures, such as weighing and monitoring children as young as five at school. And so-called fat camps are sadly no longer solely a US phenomenon.

But while nipping the problem in the bud is a great solution, it doesn't solve the existing problem, which, currently, affects one in five of us.

This is where National Obesity Awareness Week comes in - an initiative which aimed to educate and advise those who are falling or have already fallen into the trap.

"It provided an ideal occasion for people to look at themselves and think about losing weight and changing their lifestyle," said Dr Ian Campbell, chairman of the National Obesity Forum, which was started in 2000.

"Working with a good, reputable weight loss group can be a great start but if things get tough, and you need extra help, ask your local GP or nurse for expert advice.

In extreme cases, Dr Campbell advised overweight people to ask their GP about prescription medications such as Reductil (sibutramine) or Xenical (orlistat).

"Seeking professional advice can make a big difference to maintaining long-term weight loss and motivation," he said.

Obesity is commonly defined in terms of body mass index, although waist circumference is also a useful marker.

A desirable body mass index is considered to be in the region of 20-25 kg/m2 - anything above this is defined as overweight and a BMI over 30 kg/m2 is defined as obese.

Weight loss diets are causing concern. "Despite the publicity generated by the Atkins diet and other celebrity weight loss regimes, faddy diets and quick fix solutions don't necessarily work long term and many fall back into bad habits fast," said Dr Campbell.

"Recent research has revealed that 43 per cent of people become discouraged within their first month of starting a diet and exercise programme, while two out of three give up within three months."

Dr Campbell offered the following tips for losing weight realistically and enjoying a healthy lifestyle.

Set realistic weight loss goals, 1kg or 2lbs each week is a sensible and achievable level of weight loss.

Eat smaller portions, choosing low fat options wherever possible and eating at least five pieces of fruit or vegetables every day.

Write down everything that you eat and drink. You can learn a lot about yourself.

Make regular exercise part of your everyday life - try walking to the shops rather driving or taking the family out cycling at the weekends.

Anyone who has a story about obesity to tell should call 01905 742244.

WE have 10 copies of Exercise Throughout Life, containing basic exercise programmes for the whole family, and 10 Collins Gem Calorie Counter guides to give away. Answers to the following question on a postcard to Melanie Hall, Worcester Evening News, Hylton Road, Worcester, WR2 5JX.

Q: What body mass index does a person have if they are considered obese?