Risk factors for childhood overweight

We review the 2004 literature on risk factors for childhood overweight. Given the steady increase in the prevalence of childhood overweight, the identification of risk factors is of increasing importance.

A number of studies confirmed that parental overweight is the most potent risk factor for childhood overweight. Childhood temperament was found to mediate the effects of parental overweight with a difficult temperament increasing the risk of overweight. Newer findings implicate regular consumption of fast food and sweetened drinks as risk factors, as well as sedentary behavior; although a meta-analysis suggested that the effects of the latter factor are small. Other work was consistent with the finding that parental overcontrol of children's feeding behavior, particularly for those at high risk of developing overweight, may lead to overweight.

Identification of groups of children at high risk for becoming overweight offers the potential for early intervention to reduce the intergenerational transfer of obesity. This is an area for future research because the nature of effective intervention is at present unclear. There is a suggestion that focused behavior change efforts on one target such as reducing the intake of sweetened beverages may be more successful than attempts to make broader dietary changes. There is also evidence that targeting parental behaviors may be more effective than interventions directed solely toward children, suggesting that modification of the environment that a child is exposed to during early development may have a lasting effect.