[Is it possible to treat obesity in children and adolescents?]

The question of whether or not treatment of obesity in children and adolescents is possible, feasible, or effective cannot be answered at the present time. Obesity is the most common chronic disorder in the industrialized societies. Its impact on individual lives as well as on health economics has to be recognized by physicians and the public alike: obesity at a young age is a major burden for the economy. Huge sums of money are thought to be spent on diet foods, products, and programs to lose weight. Treatments aim to reduce weight and as a consequence cardiovascular risks and other comorbidities. By doing so, economic costs could also substantially be reduced. In addition and most importantly, for the individual the impact of a given treatment on quality of life and social participation might be even more important than the medical benefit as such: especially since children and adolescents very often cannot estimate the medical burden of long-term sequelae of their obesity. Apart from individual therapies, interventions on a population base might be more cost effective and more important. However, the effectiveness of such interventions should also be assessed prospectively and continuously.