THE number of South African children that consult dieticians is on the rise.

Johannesburg dietician Marian Davel said: "In the last couple of years, I have seen an increase in the number of parents that bring obese children to my practice.

"The biggest problem is that children do not eat a variety of food. They mostly eat meat and food that is high in energy," Davel said.

Davel said this in response to the Healthy Active Kids Report Card released this week.

South African children were given an overall health grade of C with lower marks for unhealthy eating, tobacco use and physical education. Promising initiatives included the school feeding scheme, anti-tobacco legislation and curriculum-based strategies.

Dr Craig Nossel, head of Vitality Wellness at Discovery Health, said: "The report shows there has been little or no improvement in tobacco use, nutrition, physical activity and obesity in our children over the last three years.

"These are worrying trends as these lifestyle factors give rise to serious preventable diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, lung disease and certain cancers, which are responsible for over half the adult deaths worldwide. To give children a healthier future, we have to change their behaviour now, but we have to understand which factors drive these destructive behaviours."