Childhood obesity

Obesity is one of the world's most challenging public health problems. The phenomenon of childhood obesity is increasing in industrialized and emerging countries, with the major impact of the onset of diseases in adolescence and adulthood. The high prevalence of youth obesity is associated with increasing rates of diabetes, hypercholesterolaemia, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and hypertension, which are risk factors for the development of cardiovascular disease in adulthood, the leading cause of chronic non-communicable disease deaths according to the World Health Organization. A healthy diet associated with an active lifestyle is a valuable tool for the prevention, management and treatment of many diseases, including obesity. In this sense, it is most effective to intervene in the paediatric population in order to establish correct eating habits from the earliest years of life that support current and future nutritional well-being. Among the various nutritional strategies to combat obesity and associated comorbidities, the Mediterranean Diet (DM) has been identified as the most effective. Educational actions to improve dietary behaviour and increase awareness of the health benefits associated with a traditional MD must be designed at school, home and clinic level. Better policies that create a new environment for children and grown-ups to choose better diets and lead active and healthy lives in every country of the WHO European Region are needed.