Bermuda?s alarming obesity levels ? now running at more than a third of the population ? will cause lower life expectancy levels in the youngest generation, an insurance expert warned yesterday.

Argus executive vice president Cindy Campbell said people were already dying from conditions associated with obesity.

She said: ?Forty percent of deaths in Bermuda are from circulatory issues, in other words, heart disease and stroke, which are conditions associated with obesity.?

And she said 30 percent of deaths are from cancer which can also be obesity related.

Overweight people suffer from a variety of conditions including asthma, bladder control problems, complications with pregnancy, gout, osteoarthritis, breathing difficulties in sleep, various types of cancers, in addition to the more well-known conditions of diabetes, congestive heart failure, heart disease and stroke.

Ms Campbell, who was giving a presentation to after-school community leaders, said the Department of Health is already dealing with more incidents of asthma, arthritis, back/spine pain, diabetes and high blood pressure and cholesterol after the Island recorded an adult obesity rate was 33 percent in 1999.

Another 24 percent are classed as overweight while only 43 percent of adults are considered to be a healthy weight.

Now she said the trend is carrying through to children.

?We used to see obesity only in middle-aged adults and now, sadly, we?re seeing it in children and teenagers.

?This is the first generation of children whose life expectancy will be lower than that of their parents.

?Not only will they not live as long but their quality of life will be lower as well, since they will most likely face the obesity-related conditions that I mentioned previously.

?They will also have more visits to the doctor, more prescription drugs to take, more lost days of work and higher healthcare costs.?

She said 25 percent of Bermuda?s young people are overweight ? including 20 percent of teen boys and 22.4 percent of teen girls.

Already around ten children on the island now have Type Two diabetes, a condition normally found in adults.

?This is a serious condition where the body is unable to produce enough insulin or to use it effectively.

?According to a recent speech by the Governor of Arkansas, a child with Type Two diabetes can have eye trouble in his 20s, a heart attack in his 30s, kidney dialysis in his 40s and not even live to see his 50th birthday.?

Parents are being urged to actively encourage their children to get their children off the couch after statistics revealed nearly a half of all teens spend three or more hours a day watching TV, 19 percent did no physical activity and 13 percent never participate in PE class.

Keeping the TV off also limited the temptation for children to demand fast food branded around cartoon characters, suggested Ms Campbell.

Other tips included encouraging healthy eating by getting children to pick out the best tomato or leanest cut of meat and scheduling fun family activities. Government, sponsored by Argus, is now surveying teens on their diet and general health.

Each student will then be given tailored recommendations to improve while Government will also work on a strategy to collectively raise teen health levels.