Obesity –related diseases, particularly diabetes, became a serious public health issue of our age. Furthermore, the number of obesity-related deaths is above the number of starvation-related deaths in some countries, such as the U.S.A. According to recent research conducted in our country, more than 30% of adults and 20% of children are overweight.
In the light of recent “Childhood Obesity Research” performed in our country according to the method recommended by World Health Organization (WHO), prevalence of obesity is 8.4% and prevalence of overweight (people with the risk of obesity) is 14.3%; it is revealed out that prevalence of overweight is 3 folds higher in urban areas than rural areas. This difference also applies to İstanbul /West and East / southeast. These data indicate how lifestyle and nutrition pattern affect the prevalence of obesity in children. Children living in urban areas and western cities eat more high-calorie, junk foods / beverages in their lives and start getting fat at early ages. We all know that the “junk foods” are everywhere, especially in supermarkets, and that a misperception is created about low-cost and “safety” of those products (they are actually safe, but unhealthy), cartoon characters are mostly used for promoting these products to have them look cute for the children; companies of the food industry spend highest amounts for advertisements and when the children have stick crackers in front of them, the ones watching advertisements of foods eat 40 percent more than those who do not watch. On the background, “junk foods” and processed products create “food dependency” processes due to high amount and quick absorption of sugar.
Being overweight is a complex problem that evolves through occurrence of epigenetic accumulations, which ensure inheritance of obesity/overweight from one generation to the other, including increased rate of overweight people in general population in the first phase followed by increased rate of obese people and finally, increased prevalence of type 2 diabetes in association with shorter lifespan and increased rate of disabilities secondary to this condition. When considered from this point of view, the most important strategy should be prevention of obesity in children, protection of health in children along with the health of adults in order to boost the public health.
Comprehensive Obesity Program
We, Pediatric Endocrinology Team of Koç University Hospital, are happy to provide the obese children with our 27 years of experience and knowledge in the light of global developments and by up-to-date means. Our team delivers following services:
- A comprehensive evaluation in the first admission and identifying the patient-specific approaches
- Evaluation and treatment of insulin resistance
- Analysis of food consumption habits and body mass components (fat, muscle and bone tissue ratios)
- Structured healthy eating training
- Personalized diet plan according to grade of obesity and personal characteristics; and close monitoring
- Personalized exercise plan
- Psychosocial evaluation and support
- Support for school life and prevention of “being labeled”
- Treatment with novel obesity medications
- In necessary cases, “metabolic surgery” plan in cooperation with Metabolic Surgery Unit of Koç University Hospital for obese adolescents