There are about 15,000 overweight children in Moldova and their number is rising each year. The problem is most frequent among children aged 8-15, but is also known among children of pre-school age, Info-Prim Neo learned from Zinaida Moraru, head of the pediatric endocrinology section of Children’s Hospital Emil “Emil Cotaga”. According to Zinaida Moraru, a child’s obesity doesn’t appear overnight, regardless of his age. The disease is stimulated by genetic and acquired factors. Genetic factors include the genes inherited from parents, while acquired factors refer to unhealthy diets, based on carbohydrates and fats. Obesity is caused by a sedentary life style, because children spend more time at the computer or the TV instead of playing outside. Intense psychological experiences can adversely affect the children’s health as well. Stress can also lead to obesity. It can be caused by parents leaving abroad, the death of a parent or because of sexual abuse. Doctor Zinaida Moraru added that the number of overweight children is higher in urban areas than in rural zones. An overweight child has a risk of developing metabolic syndromes as adults, as obesity in childhood leads to other problems in adulthood. Fighting obesity among children is the safest way to reduce the number of people suffering from cardiovascular diseases, because most of them stem from childhood. According to Zinaida Moraru, obesity can be prevented by early diagnosis of the child through glycaemia, blood pressure and glucose tolerance tests.