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Childhood Obesity

Schneider Children’s Hospital (P.W.S.), New Hyde Park, New York 11040, and New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York 10016; East Leeds Primary Care Trust (M.C.J.R.), University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9DE, United Kingdom; St. Barnabas Medical Center (H.A.), Livingston, New Jersey 07039, and State University of New York Downstate Medical School, Brooklyn, New York 11203; William Harvey Research Institute (C.C.-H.), University of London, London EC1A 7BE, United Kingdom; University of Chieti (F.C.), Chieti, Italy 66100; Meir General Hospital (A.E.) and Felsenstein Medical Research Center (P.V.), Sackler School of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel 69978; Schneider Children’s Medical Center, Petah-Tikva 49202, and Sackler Faculty of Medicine (S.S.) and Chaim Sheba Medical Center and Sackler Faculty of Medicine (D.S.), Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel 69978; Duke University Medical Center (M.F.), Durham, North Carolina 27710; University Children’s Hospital (A.G., H.K.), Charite, Humboldt-University, Berlin, Germany 10099; Soroka University Medical Center (E.H.), Beer-Sheva, Israel 84101; University of Modena and Reggio Emilia A (L.I.), Modena, Italy 41100; Meyer Children’s Hospital (Y.L., N.Z.-L., Z.H.), Rambam Medical Center, Haifa, Israel 31096; University of California San Francisco (R.H.L.), San Francisco, California 94143; James Whitcomb Riley Hospital for Children (O.H.P.), Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana 46202; Safra Children’s Hospital (O.P.-H.), Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel 52662; University of Virginia (A.D.R.), Charlottesville, Virginia 22911; Hopital Arnaud de Villeneuve (C.S.), Montpelier, France F-34295; Murdoch Childrens Research Institute (G.A.W.), University of Melbourne, Royal Children’s Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia 3052; and Kaplan Medical Center (Z.Z.), Rehovot, Israel 76100

Address all correspondence and requests for reprints to: Phyllis W. Speiser, M.D., Division of Pediatric Endocrinology, Schneider Children’s Hospital, 269-01 76th Avenue, New Hyde Park, New York 11040. E-mail: pspeiser{at}lij.edu.

In March 2004 a group of 65 physicians and other health professionals representing nine countries on four continents convened in Israel to discuss the widespread public health crisis in childhood obesity. Their aim was to explore the available evidence and develop a consensus on the way forward.

The process was rigorous, although time and resources did not permit the development of formal evidence-based guidelines. In the months before meeting, participants were allocated to seven groups covering prevalence, causes, risks, prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and psychology. Through electronic communication each group selected the key issues for their area, searched the literature, and developed a draft document. Over the 3-d meeting, these papers were debated and finalized by each group before presenting to the full group for further discussion and agreement.

In developing a consensus statement, this international group has presented the evidence, developed recommendations, and provided a platform aimed toward future corrective action and ongoing debate in the international community.

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