So, HOW healthy are our children?

The Daily Echo Healthy Kids Survey, the most comprehensive of its kind so far conducted in Southampton, involved 800 children aged between 11 and 16 and resulted in the processing of 12,000 responses.

Among the key findings are:

More than a quarter of the children questioned are worried about their health.

Four out of ten girls dieted.

Almost three-quarters do not eat the recommended five daily portions of fruit and vegetables.

One in three do not eat breakfast.

Six out of ten admit eating crisps or chocolate every day.

One in three would choose a burger and chips meal when offered healthier alternatives.

Health experts are already concerned that one in five children starting school in Hampshire are overweight and one in ten are clinically obese.

And now academics at Southampton University are warning that the Daily Echo Healthy Kids Survey may not have revealed the full extent of the obesity problem.

That's because some youngsters may have offered answers they thought they should have given - rather than the truth.

The far-reaching survey, coming at the end of National Obesity Week, also gave an interesting insight into other aspects of young lifestyles.

Sixty-two per cent of boys, for example, say they play computer games on a daily basis while a similar proportion of girls claim teen magazines put pressure on them to conform to a slim, model size.

Meanwhile, a third of girls say they dislike PE and games at school. While half say they exercise daily, one in seven claim they never do any outside school.

The number of Southampton children worried about their weight (37 per cent of girls and 21 per cent of boys) was described today as "very sad" by the city's public health boss.

Andrew Mortimore, director of public health at Southampton City Primary Care Trust, said the Daily Echo survey spoke volumes.

"It is really sad that one in three girls and one in five boys is worried about their weight," he said.

"The survey reinforces what we already know - that children in Southampton are not eating the right things and not getting enough exercise."

Commenting on the survey's findings that 40 per cent of children have a fizzy drink every day, Mr Mortimore added: "It's not surprising that we have a problem with poor dental health.

"You just have to look at the number of children drinking fizzy drinks and eating sweets on a daily basis.

"We have to look seriously at taking action to increase access to healthy options."

The questionnaire results came as no surprise to Jennifer Davies, Southampton's chief community development dietician.

She said: "The survey shows us that Southampton reflects the national picture.

"The fact that 63 per cent of children are eating crisps or chocolate every day and one in three skips breakfast means opportunities to get all the right vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates and other things are limited.

"Not having breakfast can also affect a child's concentration and behaviour at school. It is very important.

"We need to look at where the children are buying their crisps and fizzy drinks and, if it is in school, to think about easier access to healthier and affordable alternatives."

She added: "The number of girls on diets is no surprise. Girls tend to be more self-aware and conscious about their bodies."

Academics at Southampton University's Institute for Human Nutrition said although the questionnaire results gave a flavour of what 11- to 16-year-olds thought about diet and exercise, the true picture was likely to be more worrying.

Dr Barrie Margetts, public health nutritionist, said it was often difficult to get unbiased answers from children about their diet as many knew what they should be eating and would tend to lean towards those options rather than the truth.

"In reality, I would expect more than a third of children to choose burger and chips out of the four given meal options," he said.

"However, children can sometimes be very good at describing what they think should be the right answers.

"Probably, one of the most noticeable results is that nearly half of girls questioned had either been on a diet or intended to go on one.

"It would be interesting to square that with the number of girls who actually are overweight."

Dr Margetts said: "On average, our population of young children is getting heavier, so clearly something is not working.

"It could be that all the talk today about dieting raises anxiety among young people but does not result in weight loss."

He added: "It is clear that there are lots of activities going on to tackle obesity but what is not so clear is how they all fit together, and whether they are working or not."

He said celebrity chefJamie Oliver was currently doing a fantastic job of raising awareness about school dinners, "but we also need to look at what happens with children's lunch boxes and vending machines to make sure they are compatible with improving health."

Margaret Morrissey of the National Confederation of Parent Teacher Associations said what concerned her most about the survey results was the attitude of the girls and the fact that so many of them had dieted.

"The pressure that girls feel from teenage magazines concerns me," she said.

"I don't think that schools can really do anything about it but the government needs to look at advertising and magazines aimed at children and maybe introduce some censorship.

"The boys' response, that they follow sports people, is telling. If they copy David Beckham's haircut that's not going to do them any harm, but it's not good for girls to be wanting to look like supermodels.

"I know seven-year-old girls who are already looking in the mirror to check if they're fat. By the time they're 11 they're going to have to be watched very carefully to make sure they don't develop eating disorders."

She did think that there were a lot of positive factors in the survey results, particularly the number of children who walk and cycle to school.

"Children should be commended because it's so easy just to get a lift. The fact that two out of three children are eating breakfast is impressive. I've always found it almost impossible to get kids to eat breakfast."

The Daily Echo Healthy Kids Survey is published against the backdrop of worrying Department of Health national figures concerning childhood obesity.

In 1997, the average boy of 15 weighed 58.7kg (9st 3lb). But by 2003, this had shot up to 60.7kg (9st 7lb)

Girls are doing no better. In 1998, most weighed 56.8kg (9st 1lb). They now tip the scales at an average 58.9kg (9st 4lb)

If the trend continues, at least a third of adults, a fifth of boys and a third of girls will be obese by 2020.

New figures released by public health minister Melanie Johnson reveal that the average Briton has become 1.5 inches fatter and half a stone heavier in the past decade, sparking fears that more people will die early from illnesses caused by obesity.

The statistics show that men's waistlines expanded by 1.5in to 34.1in between 1994 and 2003 and women's by 1.6in to 34.1in.

In the same period, the average man's weight has risen from 12.5 to 13.1 stone, and the typical woman's from 10.5 stone to 11 stone.

The figures, contained in research by the Department of Health, mean that today's generation has the fattest stomachs and most overweight bodies in history.