ABSTRACT
Obesity is associated with increased risks for non-insulin-dependent diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, and a host of other clinical disorders, and is considered one of the major health problems in the world today. Some of the physiological changes that lead to obesity in adults may also be present in early childhood and, under certain environmental conditions, may predispose children to body weight gain. The predisposition to obesity may begin at birth due to metabolic variations in energy expenditure. Children living in a household where one or both parents are obese have an increased risk of becoming obese. The same physiological and environmental influences that led to parental obesity may also lead to childhood obesity. In spite of environmental influences, certain individuals with a familial history of obesity may become obese. The obesity phenotype is more likely to be expressed in predisposed individuals living in environments favoring excessive caloric intake and inactivity.
