If anyone was unaware of the perilous state of the nation's health, then they can be in no doubt following the recent "obesity" blitz.

I've written in the past about the need for plain speak in order to get this message across - that's why I prefer to use the term fat or overweight as opposed to obese.

Straight talking is vital if we are to raise awareness of this ever-growing problem but what lifted the issue from the health pages to the front pages was the horrifying revelation that a child of three had died.

Behind the headlines lay some extremely worrying statistics. Each year, fatness costs the NHS £2bn and business two million sick days. It shortens sufferers' lives by nine years.

Add to this the massive burden on the health service from the effects of smoking and excessive drinking and it's obvious that if we don't take action now then, in years to come, we will find the burden of avoidable illness intolerable.

All other areas, such as education, law and order and environment will suffer as funds are diverted to health. Meanwhile, in hospitals, the fight against cancer, leukaemia and other "natural" illnesses will stall as more and more resources are diverted to treating avoidable conditions.

There have been numerous worthy campaigns in the past but I can't help thinking that some of these have been targetting the wrong audience.

A paramedic recently told me how he had been called to a house where a man in his fifties had suffered a coronary attack. As the medic reached for an oxygen mask, the patient lit up a cigarette. Of course, you never give up, but trying to change a middle-aged person's habits can be as fruitless as their diet. Even teenage years can be too late. A rebellious streak and juvenile indifference can try the most patient of professionals.

Many of us will remember how, as primary school kids, the class received a visit from a policeman, the warning about going with strangers usually sank in. And the fire brigade targets young people when trying to get its message across - organising regular open days, displays and supervising bonfire night events.

The benefit is two-fold. Obviously, the fewer crimes and fires the better for society but this reduction also frees up resources. It means that, instead of simply answering distress calls from the public, the police and fire brigade can focus on prevention.

To my mind, ambulance crews are the most undervalued of our emergency services, with some regarding them as little more than a taxi service.

In fact, they are often the first of the frontline services on the scene and actions taken by paramedics and technicians can be life-or-death decisions. They know better than anyone the perils of an unhealthy lifestyle.

A uniform grabs the attention of children and I would suggest a paramedic outlining the dangers of smoking, drinking and poor diet to six and seven-year-olds will have far more long term impact than TV adverts and posters in clinics.

By looking to tackle this problem in the long term we might also gain some help in trying to get adults to change the habits of a lifetime.

I suspect the blunt words of a youngster who comes home from school and tells a relative off for the way they live their life will have far more impact than any public health campaign.