ABSTRACT
Obesity is a common disease that has become more prevalent in all countries over the past few years (WHO, 1997). About 8 to 10% of the French population, 17 to 20% of the English and Welsh, and over 25% of North Americans are obese (Maillard et al., 2000; Prescott-Clarke et al., 1998; Mokdad et al., 2003). In Europe, although obesity is less prevalent in adults than in the U.S., the prevalence of overweight is increasing among children and teenagers. In France, the latest data showed that 16% of children and teenagers are overweight and the number of obese children has increased fivefold in the last 10 years (Maillard et al., 2000). Obesity is a risk factor for early mortality and a wide range of metabolic and cardiovascular complications (Lean et al., 1998).
