Prevalence and main risk factors associated with pediatric obesity

Abstract

Introduction: Obesity has become a health problem in the American continent, if not controlled in time, a pandemic is foreseen that puts the lives of children and adolescents at risk.There are many risk factors, among which are the modifiable ones such as lifestyle. Objective: To determine ch as: the prevalence and risk factors associated with paediatric malnutrition leading to obesity. Methodology: A bibliographic review was performed by searching for articles of scientific rigour in the main databases suScopus, PubMed, Science Direct and Scielo, and then analysed and systematised the articles that responded to the research questions posed in this study. Results: The country with the highest prevalence of paediatric obesity is the USA; the main risk factors are poor eating habits and a sedentary lifestyle typical of modernity. In Ecuador, on the other hand, 8.6% of children are overweight and three out of ten infants suffer from overweight and obesity. Discussion: After analysing the different bibliographic sources, the authors agree that if the high rates of obesity are not curbed, there will be serious repercussions at the health and economic levels for the states, in addition to the fact that many of the risk factors can be intervened. Conclusion: Obesity is a problem that is increasing, researchers have considered it as a modern epidemic linked to sedentary lifestyle and malnutrition, in addition this pathology is associated with the development of comorbidities. Given the prevalence and risk factors associated with paediatric obesity, it is necessary to implement effective interventions and comprehensive health policies aimed at preventing and treating this pathology