An ambitious new plan to combat childhood obesity has been launched.

The $4 million RESPOND program will see the attention shift to the community, with towns in the state’s northeast engaged to discuss factors that could contribute to childhood obesity.

Lead researcher and director of Deakin’s Global Obesity Centre, Professor Steven Allender, told Nick McCallum the communities had chosen themselves to be a part of the new initiative.

“These communities (in the program) are ready because their leaders are ready to work on this problem,” he said.

“They’ve reached out to us and asked us whether we can work together to do something.

“Each community will develop its key understanding of all of the different drivers of childhood health and find the best way to improve the health of their kids.”

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