Translating knowledge into action to prevent pediatric and adolescent diabesity: a meeting report

Janatani Balakumaran,*,1,2 Yun-Ya Kao,*,1,2 Kuan-Wen Wang,1,2 Gabriel M Ronen,1 James MacKillop,3 Lehana Thabane,1,4–7 M Constantine Samaan1,2,41Department of Pediatrics, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada; 2Division of Pediatric Endocrinology, McMaster Children’s Hospital, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada; 3Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Peter Boris Centre for Addictions Research, McMaster University/St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada; 4Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada; 5Department of Anesthesia, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada; 6Centre for Evaluation of Medicines, St. Joseph’s Health Care, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada; 7Biostatistics Unit, St Joseph’s Healthcare-Hamilton, Hamilton, Ontario, CanadaCorrespondence: M Constantine SamaanDepartment of Pediatrics, McMaster University, Division of Pediatric Endocrinology, McMaster Children’s Hospital, 1280 Main Street West, HSC-3A57, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4K1, CanadaTel +1 905 521 2100 ext. 75926Fax +1 905 308 7548Email samaanc@mcmaster.ca*These authors contributed equally to this workBackground: The obesity and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) rates are at an all-time high globally. This diabesity epidemic is increasingly impacting children and adolescents, and there is scarce evidence of interventions with favourable long-term outcomes.Purpose: In order to understand the determinants of diabesity and how to address them, multiple stakeholders were invited to a meeting to discuss current state of knowledge and to help design a program to prevent pediatric and adolescent diabesity.Participants and methods: The meeting was held at McMaster University on March 4th, 2015. The event involved presentations to deliver state-of-the-art knowledge about diabesity, and roundtable discussions of several domai