From birth to adolescence: Vienna 2005 European Childhood Obesity Group International Workshop.
BACKGROUND
In the last 15 y there has been a tremendous increase in the number of studies on pediatric obesity looking at epidemiology, health-related risks, etiology, methodology and treatment. During the early 1990s, the European Childhood Obesity Group (ECOG) was born as a group of scientists' expert in the field of pediatric obesity. ECOG this year celebrates the approach to early maturity with an excited and omni-comprehensive program developing through eight different tracks.


METHODS
Comments on different 'key' papers in each of the eight tracks.


RESULTS
The eight tracks were (1) Nutrition requirements and food habits, (2) physical activity, (3) prevention and political actions/strategies, (4) diabetes, (5) metabolism, (6) psychology, (7) pathology, and (8) treatment with emphasis on drugs.


CONCLUSIONS
Looking at the overall picture of the ECOG workshop we could conclude that despite the fact that childhood obesity is a crisis facing worldwide youth, it is necessary that action to control it must be taken now. All the six relevant levels (ie, family, schools, health professionals, government, industry and media) could be involved in prevention of child and adolescent obesity.
Pietrobelli
A
A
Pediatric Unit, Verona University Medical School, Verona, Italy.
Flodmark
C E
CE
Lissau
I
I
Moreno
L A
LA
Widhalm
K
K
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000209:etiology; D005060:Europe; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D009747:Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D009765:Obesity / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D012307:Risk Factors