Scientific Sessions

Pediatric obesity, often known as childhood obesity, is the most common nutritional condition in children and adolescents around the world. Around 43 million people are obese, with 21–24 percent of children and adolescents being overweight and 16–18 percent having abdominal obesity. Obesity is more common in certain ethnic groups than in others. Obesity raises the risk of cardiovascular disease in both children and adults. Obesity in childhood increases the risk of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, as well as hypertension, hyperlipidemia, liver and kidney disease, and reproductive dysfunction in adulthood. Obesity in children is a major public health issue in developed countries. As the number of children who are overweight rises, health professionals must seek out efficient approaches for obesity prevention and treatment. Pediatric obesity has more than doubled in children and quadrupled in adolescents globally in the last 30 years.