Abstract
For several decades already the prevalence of overweight and obesity in children and adolescents in most countries has been still rising. The main cause is unhealthy eating of children in families, at school and during leisure time, insufficient physical activity, drinking of oversweetened soft drinks and frequent food consumption at fast food restaurants.
The consequence of this unhealthy way of living is an increasing number of children with latent or manifest type 2 diabetes, which continues in adulthood with origination of severe complications. Cardiovascular complications of overweight and obesity are well known and significantly affect morbidity and mortality in old age.
Developed countries are starting to seek ways out of this situation not only at professional but also at social and governmental level, because child obesity has become a serious problem of global healthcare.