Due to changes in nutritional patterns and physical activity as well as economic growth in developing countries, the prevalence of obesity has reached pandemic proportions in the past decades. Consequences of diseases related to obesity, such as coronary heart disease, hypertension, diabetes and renal disease, account for much of the morbidity in these patients and are rarely treated adequately. There is an enormous need to provide information to the general population and particularly parents concerning the risks of childhood obesity and the importance of regular exercise. Physicians and scientists have now realised that obesity is a pathophysiological entity with important clinical complications. Current actions to prevent obesity should not only be directed towards the development of drugs controlling weight gain, but should also include educational programs, which will guarantee adequate awareness and prevention of this disease.