Prevention of adolescent obesity: The global picture and an indian perspective

Abstract

Background and aims: Adolescent obesity is an increasing health burden with a growing prevalence in low- and middle-income countries. The aim of this review is to assess and compare current best practice obesity prevention interventions for adolescents in developed nations and in India METHODS: Medline (PubMed), CINAHL, Scopus and Google Scholar electronic databases from 2000 to 2020 were searched using the key terms obesity, overweight, child and adolescent obesity, child and adolescent overweight, interventions for childhood and adolescent obesity and dietary interventions for adolescents, developed countries, and India.

Results: Developed nations worldwide have formed and implemented policies and programs at national and local levels to attempt to minimize and manage adolescent obesity. In 2019, scientific and government consultation groups in India have recommended national cross-sectoral structures to action interventions to restrict high-fat food intake, increase physical activity in children and adolescents and to link current research and school-based interventions in a national framework.

Conclusions: Obesity is a multifactorial problem, and multimodal interventions involving all Indian stakeholders, combined with government policy reform, are urgently needed.

Keywords: Adolescent obesity; Adolescent overweight; Childhood obesity; Childhood overweight; Developed countries; Dietary patterns for adolescents; India; interventions for childhood.