2011/02/15 by Donna Spruijt‐Metz · 1 citation
Health Professions · Medicine · Psychology · #Eating Disorders and Behaviors #Health and Lifestyle Studies #Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet
paper · doi:10.1111/j.1532-7795.2010.00719.x
openalex publication_date 2011/02/15 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29
Childhood obesity has become an epidemic on a worldwide scale. This article gives an overview of the progress made in childhood and adolescent obesity research in the last decade, with a particular emphasis on the transdisciplinary and complex nature of the problem. The following topics are addressed: 1) current definitions of childhood and adolescent overweight and obesity; 2) demography of childhood and adolescent obesity both in the US and globally; 3) current topics in the physiology of fat and obesity; 4) psychosocial correlates of childhood and adolescent overweight and obesity; 5) the three major obesity-related behaviors, i.e. dietary intake, physical activity and sleep; 6) genes components of childhood and adolescent obesity; 7) environment and childhood and adolescent obesity; and 8) progress in interventions to prevent and treat childhood obesity. The article concludes with recommendations for future research, including the need for large-scale, high dose and long-term interventions that take into account the complex nature of the problem.