Pediatric obesity is a significant public health problem in the United States, with 13 million children and adolescents aged 2 to 19 years (18.5%) diagnosed with obesity (1). The prevalence of obesity is higher among Hispanic youth (25.8%) and non-Hispanic Black youth (22%) than among non-Hispanic White youth (14.1%) and non-Hispanic Asian youth (11%). In recent years, the prevalence of pediatric obesity has increased slowly, albeit significantly, with 20.6% of adolescents 12 to 19 years old diagnosed with obesity (1), and nearly 6% of children and adolescents classified as having severe obesity, which is defined as having BMI (calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared) 20% above the 95th percentile or ≥35 (2).Pediatric obesity is associated with many comorbid conditions that involve almost every organ system, including hyperglycemia, hyperandrogenism, asthma, obstructive sleep apnea, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, cholelithiasis, pancreatitis, renal disease, orthopedic problems, and mood disorders (3). Furthermore, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), hypertension, and hyperlipidemia are significant cardiovascular risk factors. The incidence of T2DM among adolescents with overweight has increased dramatically over the past decade. In a 2017 report, overall unadjusted rates of T2DM increased by 7.1% annually over a 10-year period (4), and an estimated one in three children born after the year 2000 will develop T2DM in their lifetime. Childhood obesity frequently persists into adulthood and increases cardiovascular risk factors such as hypertension and
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