Prevalence and determinants of obesity among school going adolescents: A systematic review

Abstract

Adolescence is considered as critical period for the development of obesity. The frequency of childhood obesity has increased over the last 3 decades, and it has emerged as a public health concern in multiple places around the world. A number of factors interact in a complex way to cause obesity, which is still not fully understood. Therefore, the purpose of this review was to identify and assess the scientific literature on the prevalence of obesity, and behavioural, contextual and biological factors associated with obesity in adolescents. The search was carried out using PubMed, Web of Science, Embase and Scopus considering articles published from the establishment of the databanks until December, 2022. Data on the prevalence of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents, and articles on the determinants and factors affecting obesity were reviewed. The results obtained and the association observed among the factors studied will be helpful to support the planning, implementation and evaluation of preventive activities and interventions. Keywords: adolescents; childhood; intervention; obesity; overweight