The Scottish Government is to plough £6m into tackling childhood obesity.

The funding aims to help at least 20,000 overweight and obese children and forms part of the Scottish Government’s plans to fight the epidemic.

As part of the new initiative, health boards will be tasked with setting up family-focused healthy weight treatment programmes for children aged between five and 15.

Making the announcement at an international summit on health inequalities being hosted in Edinburgh, health secretary Nicola Sturgeon said: “While the growing problem of obesity – and in particular childhood obesity -– is affecting all sectors of society more and more, we know that the health impacts can be a particular problem in deprived areas.

“Chronic health conditions associated with obesity, such as coronary heart disease, are prevalent in deprived communities. Yet it is those who are living in less affluent areas who are more likely to find it difficult to access affordable healthy foods and have opportunities to be active.

“The funding I am announcing today will directly benefit overweight children and is an extremely important addition to the actions we are already taking to tackle health inequalities, such as free school meals, raising the age of cigarette sales to 18 and expanding our Keep Well programme.”