[German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents (KiGGS)--what comes next?].

From May 2003 to May 2006 the Robert Koch Institute conducted the German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents (KiGGS). This study included 17,641 boys and girls together with their parents from 167 study locations. The aim of this nationwide interview and examination survey was to collect, for the first time in Germany, comprehensive and nationwide data on the health status of children and adolescents. In this description it is compared, for the example of overweight and obesity, which of the target sets of the survey have already been achieved. It is discussed how the scientific results may influence decision-making of politicians and how the data can be used for the main aim of improving the health status of children and adolescents.