Dear Friends,

Hafa Adai. The 2nd Micronesian Medical symposium was a tremendous success, it brought together some of the world authorities from different countries. The 3rd Micronesian Medical Symposium is to be held on October 19-21, 2007 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Guam. The Symposium is co-organized by the Guam Medical Society, Guam Memorial Hospital, University of Guam and University Endowment Foundation. This year's Symposium is concentrated on the advancing global trends of Childhood / Adolescent Obesity and related diseases which has tremendous importance in advancing our clinical and preventive care.

Since the mid-seventies, the prevalence of overweight and obesity has increased sharply for both adults and children. Data from two NHANES surveys show that among adults aged 20-74 years the prevalence of obesity increased from 15.0% (in the 1976-1980 survey) to 32.9% (in the 2003-2004 survey).

The two surveys also show increases in overweight among children and teens. For children aged 2-5 years, the prevalence of overweight increased from5.0% to 13.9%; for those aged 6-11 years, prevalence increased from 6.5% to18.8%; and for those aged 12-19 years, prevalence increased from 5.0% to17.4%. On Guam and the Pacific Islands and in fact the whole of Asia, the increasing trends are more ominous. Children on Guam are thought to have much higher rates of Obesity and Diabetes than the main land US. Is it the thrifty gene hypothesis has had its mark on the developing nations such as the Asia Pacific and the Asian countries? Or is it the healthcare disparities that have marked such pronounced trends!?

These increasing rates raise concern because of their implications for Americans' health. Being overweight or obese increases the risk of many diseases and health conditions, including the following: Hypertension, Dyslipidemia, Type 2 diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome, Coronary heart disease, Stroke, Gallbladder disease, Osteoarthritis, Sleep apnea and respiratory problems, Some Infections, and Some cancers (endometrial, breast, and colon).

Although one of the national health objectives for the year 2010 is to reduce the prevalence of obesity among adults to less than 15%, current data indicate that the situation is worsening rather than improving. It is our hopes that we could have another excellent turn out at this symposium; so we can share the knowledge from the experts and be able to perpetuate this knowledge to the public for the betterment of health of our people. I encourage all to participate in this event not only by attending but also responding the call for abstracts.

The Mission Statement:

The Micronesian Medical Symposium (MMS) is organized and operated exclusively for scientific and educational purposes. It is designed to improve the quality of healthcare throughout the region by advocating for the development of regional health policies, and the advancement and perpetuation of scientific knowledge.