Background: India is undergoing major epidemiological, nutritional, and demographic transitions leading to a change in lifestyle. This tends to increase the incidence of obesity in all age groups. It has become increasingly important to assess lifestyle factors for their associated risk in predisposing overweight and obesity in children and adolescents.
Methods: A literature search of published studies from 2000 onwards was carried out using keywords such as childhood obesity, overweight, India, prevalence, lifestyle factors, dietary factors, physical activity, and family factors, using available scientific public domains such as Google Scholar, PubMed, etc. Studies on children between 5 to 19 years and focussing on prevalence and factors influencing overweight and obesity were included. A data extraction sheet was used to gather and collate information from identified articles.
Results: An increased frequency of outside meals, consumption of fast food, sweets, and soft drinks are significant dietary factors increasing the incidence of obesity in children. Reduced participation in outdoor games and exercise time, television viewing for >2-3 hours/day, vehicular transport to school, reduced sleep duration of <7 hours/day have considerable influence on children’s obesity outcomes. Additionally, a family history of obesity and parent’s higher educational qualifications are considered to be associated with obesity in children.
Conclusion: With the prevalence of obesity increasing in children as well as adolescents, there is a need to focus on the micro-environments affecting their lifestyle apart from socio-demographic determinants alone. Current studies have demonstrated the contribution of lifestyle factors, family factors, and the role of sedentary activities in understanding the causes and consequences of childhood obesity so that appropriate interventions can be designed.