The Concept of CMR

Childhood obesity

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The global diabesity epidemic and its related comorbidities have now attacked children and adolescents all over the world. Maternal and paternal obesity, a sedentary lifestyle, and low birth weight are all risk factors tied to excess body weight in youth (20). According to the IOTF, 22 million children under 5 years of age have excess body weight and this number is expected to rise in step with adult obesity rates (21). NHANES evaluated the prevalence of childhood obesity in the U.S. between 1976 and 2002 and found that overweight and obesity rates went from 4% to 6% between 1976 and 1980 and reached 16% in 2002 (22).

Obesity is also closely tied to impaired glucose tolerance and type 2 diabetes in children and adolescents. Although type 1 diabetes is the most common chronic disease in children, type 2 diabetes is expected to overtake type 1 diabetes in the near future (23). Similarly, clinical manifestations of type 2 diabetes are now being observed at a very young age. In the U.S., Arslanian et al. (24) have estimated that type 2 diabetes is diagnosed in approximately 20% of pubertal children referred to diabetes clinics. A number of developing countries in Latin America, the Caribbean, the Middle East, and North Africa are also facing an obesity epidemic in preschool children (25).

Reference

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20. Celermajer DS and Ayer JG. Childhood risk factors for adult cardiovascular disease and primary prevention in childhood. Heart 2006; 92: 1701-6.

21. Deitel M. The International Obesity Task Force and "globesity". Obes Surg 2002; 12: 613-4.

22. Ogden CL, Flegal KM, Carroll MD, et al. Prevalence and trends in overweight among US children and adolescents, 1999-2000. JAMA 2002; 288: 1728-32.

23. Fagot-Campagna A, Pettitt DJ, Engelgau MM, et al. Type 2 diabetes among North American children and adolescents: an epidemiologic review and a public health perspective. J Pediatr 2000; 136: 664-72.

24. Arslanian S. Type 2 diabetes in children: clinical aspects and risk factors. Horm Res 2002; 57 Suppl 1: 19-28.

25. Martorell R, Kettel Khan L, Hughes ML, et al. Overweight and obesity in preschool children from developing countries. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord 2000; 24: 959-67.

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