Childhood Obesity: A Narrative Review

Obesity among children has emerged as a worldwide health issue due to childhood obesity becoming a pandemic, and it is often linked to various illnesses, fatal outcomes, and disability in adulthood. Obesity has become an epidemic issue in both developed and developing countries, particularly among youngsters. The most common factors contributing to non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are unhealthy eating habits, desk-bound games, avoidance of physical activity-requiring activities, smoking, alcohol usage, and other added items. All these factors increase NCDs, including obesity, resulting in various morbidities and early death. Additionally, childhood obesity has psychological, emotional, cognitive, societal, and communicative effects. For example, it raises the possibility of issues related to physical appearance, self-esteem, confidence level, feelings of isolation, social disengagement, stigma, depression, and a sense of inequality. Children who consume more energy-dense, high-fat, low-fiber-containing food than they need usually store the excess as body fat. Standardizing indicators and terminology for obesity-related metrics is critical for better understanding the comparability of obesity prevalence and program effectiveness within and between countries. The underlying variables must be altered to reduce or avoid harm to the target organ in children. As a result, reducing childhood obesity is a considerable public health goal for the benefit of society and the long-term well-being of individuals.