Public health implications of childhood obesity

Abstract

Although recent surveys suggest a plateau of the prevalence of childhood obesity, the overall levels remain disturbingly high and affects roughly every fourth child in Hungary. Obesity in childhood causes a wide range of serious complications both in children and in adults, and increases the risk of premature illness and death later in life, raising public-health concerns with a significant burden. Unfortunately, treatment for childhood obesity currently remains largely ineffective, thus emphasize should be placed on prevention efforts. To increase the effectiveness of actions, recent guidelines suggest complex integrated approaches and interventions targeting different risk factors and adverse environmental determinants in parallel.