The Building a Healthy, Active Australia package will be launched by the Prime Minister in Launceston today.

As part of the package, the Australian Government is establishing a $15 million grant programme to help schools, families and children develop healthy eating practices.

At present in Australia, more than half of the population is overweight or obese and this includes 1.5 million people under 18 years of age. Nearly a quarter of Australian children are overweight or obese.

The Federal Health and Ageing Minister, Tony Abbott, said he would write to all schools in July to invite organisations such as parent associations, school auxiliaries, canteen and other groups to apply for a grant of up to $1,500 per school to fund activities that promote healthy living and healthy eating.

Projects may include developing healthy school canteen menus, school vegetable gardens, healthy cooking classes and lunchboxes, and awards for students.

A healthy diet and physical activity are important in maintaining healthy body weight and reducing the chances of developing heart disease and diabetes, Mr Abbott said.

As part of the package, the Australian Government is also providing $11 million for an information programme to raise awareness of the vital role healthy eating and regular physical activity plays in the wellbeing of Australia ™s children, and to provide practical advice for parents and children.

Young people who are overweight or obese are at substantially increased risk of chronic conditions such as Type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease, stroke, cancers and musculoskeletal conditions, Mr Abbott said.

Obesity is a global problem which threatens to increase the incidence and onset of largely preventable diseases and it is vital we encourage our kids to understand the importance of a good diet and physical activity.

Physical inactivity and high blood pressure were the second and third most common risk factors contributing to disease in Australia in 1996. Good nutrition contributes to good health and the Healthy School Communities programme will help build a healthier nation for our children.

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The goal, he said, is to determine how dietary nutrients affect both the growth of pathogens and the ultimate outcome of pathogen exposure. In doing so, he can find out what nutritional conditions will lead to the first outcome, which is the best one.

For example, many older Americans may remember when conventional wisdom told them to take iron supplements to combat iron deficiency. However, recent research suggests that too much iron in the diet might sometimes supply a key nutrient that is required for the development of disease, Smith said.

His colleague, Eugene Weinberg, a professor emeritus at Indiana University, has researched the role of iron in disease for two decades.

Smith earned bachelor's degrees in biology and chemistry from KU and his doctorate in ecology from the University of Minnesota. Marilyn Smith also earned bachelor's degrees in microbiology and chemistry from KU and a doctorate in microbiology from Minnesota.

The four Arizona State researchers involved in the study are Yang Kuang, professor of mathematics; James J. Elser, professor of life sciences; John D. Nagy, adjunct professor of life sciences; and Timothy Newman, associate professor of physics.

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