Obesity is a serious medical disease that affects over a quarter of adults in the United States and about fourteen percent of children and adolescents. Obesity seems to be plaguing American citizens even from an early age. People spend millions of dollars on diet pills and appetite suppressants. Obesity is now the second leading cause of preventable death after smoking.

All of us need and have fat tissue in our bodies. However, when there is too much body fat, the result is obesity. Obesity is a complex multifactorial chronic disease that develops from an interaction of geno-type and the environment. Obesity develops because of social, behavioral, cultural, physiological, metabolic and genetic factors. If you are overweight or obese, carrying this extra weight puts you at risk for developing many diseases especially, high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke, heart problems, and more. Losing this weight help to prevent and control these diseases.

Many adverse health effects associated with overweight are observed in children and adolescents. Overweight during childhood and particularly adolescence is related to increased morbidity and mortality in later life.

Too many children are overweight and this has become an important health issue. These obese children are usually less popular with peers and are not participating in sports causing them to have low self-esteem. This problem often persists into adulthood, parental neglect and behavioral and learning problems.

According to the American Obesity Association, persons with obesity are at risk of developing one or more serious medical conditions which can cause poor health and premature death. Obesity is associated with more than thirty medical conditions and scientific evidence has established a strong relationship with at least fifteen of those conditions. Common medical consequences of obesity include hyperlipidemia, glucose intolerance, early maturation, cholelithiasis and hepatic steatosis.

Weight loss medications may be appropriate for use in selected patients who meet the definition of obesity or who are overweight with morbid conditions. Medications are formulated to reduce energy intake, increase energy output or decrease the absorption of nutrients. Drugs cannot replace diet, exercise and lifestyle modification, which remain the cornerstones of obesity treatment.

Thus, for children and adolescents, the broad principles of obesity management are well recognized and comprise behavior modification, family support, dietary change, increased physical activity, decreased inactive behavior, and a developmentally appropriate approach. Obesity frequently becomes a lifelong issue. The reason most obese adolescents gain back their lost pounds is that after they have reached their goal, they go back to their old habits of eating and exercising. An obese adolescent must therefore learn to eat and enjoy healthy foods in moderate amounts and to exercise regularly to maintain the desired weight. Simply put, focus should not only be placed in us but in the environment that is promoting this epidemic.