Childhood Obesity Causes Consequences And Management

Abstract

The rapid rise in the prevalence of childhood obesity has reached epidemic proportions all over the world. Although various types of interventions are being done, they have given only marginal decreases in the prevalence of childhood obesity. Much research has been done on the causes, consequences, and possible interventions to manage the problem. A review of the current status of these aspects can lead to identifying gaps in our knowledge about the problem and scope for future research. Therefore, this paper aimed at a qualitative review of the causes, consequences, and management of interventions to reduce the prevalence of childhood obesity. Google Scholar was searched using the review topic itself as the search term. The search yielded 20 papers for this review. The reviewed papers showed some emerging trends in identifying the causes, assessing the consequences, and implementing possible interventions to manage childhood obesity. Apart from the well-known cause of excess calorie intake and lack of physical activity, more basic information on genetic and pharmacological factors has been obtained. Research on the development of obesity from prenatal to adulthood has given valuable leads for more effective and timely interventions. The consequences researched include comorbidities and psycho-social problems. Obesity stigma needs to be corrected by increasing public awareness about childhood obesity. Interventions at different stages of obesity become increasingly complex, involving more stakeholders at each stage. Bariatric surgery is the last option for highly complicated cases, and the procedure involves side effects and other risks. Hence, some criteria have been developed for this type of intervention. Some limitations of this review have been mentioned at the end of this review.