The prevalence of childhood obesity has significantly increased worldwide over the past three decades, leading to the emergence of associated health issues such as type 2 diabetes. While progress has been made in understanding the genetics and physiology of appetite control, these insights have not yet translated into effective prevention or treatment strategies for most children. Calorie intake and activity recommendations need to be reassessed and better quantified, given the sedentary lifestyles of today's children. Individual treatment approaches should focus on increasing energy expenditure and decreasing intake, but current calorie prescriptions may be too conservative. High-quality, multi-center trials with long-term follow-up are needed to evaluate the effectiveness of prevention and treatment strategies. Recent data suggest that the increasing trend in childhood obesity may be stabilizing in some Western countries, indicating a potential turning point. However, continued efforts are required to address the complex causes and consequences of childhood obesity.The prevalence of childhood obesity has significantly increased worldwide over the past three decades, leading to the emergence of associated health issues such as type 2 diabetes. While progress has been made in understanding the genetics and physiology of appetite control, these insights have not yet translated into effective prevention or treatment strategies for most children. Calorie intake and activity recommendations need to be reassessed and better quantified, given the sedentary lifestyles of today's children. Individual treatment approaches should focus on increasing energy expenditure and decreasing intake, but current calorie prescriptions may be too conservative. High-quality, multi-center trials with long-term follow-up are needed to evaluate the effectiveness of prevention and treatment strategies. Recent data suggest that the increasing trend in childhood obesity may be stabilizing in some Western countries, indicating a potential turning point. However, continued efforts are required to address the complex causes and consequences of childhood obesity.