Can obesity prevention work for our children?

The prevalence of obesity in children and adolescents is higher than 20 years ago in all racial-ethnic, age, and gender groups. Research has lead to the discovery of many risk factors for obesity, which may help practitioners target at-risk individuals. Insight concerning obesity prevention can come from examining other public health programs, which center on prevention; such as smoking, seat belt use, and sexually transmitted disease. Another guide when establishing obesity prevention is evaluation of currently successful programs. Prevention and treatment interventions for childhood obesity should promote the replacement of unhealthy eating and exercise practices with healthier behaviors. The goal of prevention should always be maintenance of normal growth patterns, rather than weight loss. In predisposed children, sedentary, non-nutritious environments challenge metabolic capacity and promote overweight conditions, further inactivity and increased sedentary behaviors. This results in clinically significant obesity, reduced insulin sensitivity and ultimately type 2 diabetes later in life. Prevention of future chronic disease in children and adults may depend on our ability to prevent the onset of obesity in young children. This should be a primary goal of pediatricians, family health care professionals, and public health professionals.