A new body has been set up to tackle Scotland’s poor health record.

The Scottish Collaboration for Public Health Research and Policy, which will feature some of the top minds in public health, will investigate ways of tackling alcohol abuse, violence and obesity.

The body, which will be based at the Medical Research Council’s Human Genetics Unit in the Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine in Edinburgh, will have a budget of £3.5m for five years.

The collaboration’s director, Canadian Professor John Frank said they will need to come up with “home-grown” solutions for changing the culture.

He said: "You can't tackle the impending obesity pandemic simply by classifying a third of the child population as patients. The solution is to change the culture.

"Unfortunately, we can't simply go to the bookshelf and find a recipe that might work for Scotland. We need to come up with home-grown and home-tested solutions.”

However, Frank said they would bring the “best minds available to the problem”.

“Many public health problems are biologically reversible, and that’s the best reason I can think of for getting involved.

“I believe that the collaboration will soon be ready to work with researchers and policy-makers across the country, to bring the best minds available to the problem, and that’s got to be a good thing.”

For more information visit the MRC’s website