Obesity treatment could start with the better education of the nation's children, a leading health expert has suggested.
Dr Dean Marshall, chairman of the British Medical Association's (BMA) Scottish general practitioner's committee, has said that by educating children from an early age, obesity in later life could be prevented.
The doctor said: "What we are suggesting is that we have much more focus on children, ensuring that they have the right lifestyle information and don't actually end up obese."
He added that in the committee's view, prevention can be just as beneficial as a cure, "if not better".
The health risks associated with obesity range from cardiovascular disease to diabetes.
According to the BMA's report, more then 40 people a day are diagnosed with diabetes in Scotland.
These numbers hint at the wider damage which can be caused by the condition.
Between 1995 and 2006, obesity-related death rates rose by an average of 7.5 per cent for British men.
Since then, the health problem has continued to pose major concerns as nearly a quarter of all men and women in the UK are classified as obese.