Annual Review of the Treatment of Childhood and Adolescent Obesity 2009: Rationale and Introduction to Special Focus Section

© Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. February 2010 Obesity and Weight Management 25 Introduction Of the tens of millions of overweight and obese children in the world, what percent are currently actively engaged, with their families, in evidence-based and concerted efforts to change their weight status? No one knows the precise answer to this key question at the moment, but an educated guess is less than 1%. Parents usually underestimate their children’s weight status1,2; healthcare providers usually fail to formally diagnosis this disease2; and scientifically grounded, professionally conducted programs are not universally