Obesity and the main health risk factors that trigger it in the young population: An integrative review

Abstract

Obesity is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a chronic and recurrent disease caused by complex interactions between genetic factors, neurobiological factors, eating behaviors, access to healthy food, market forces, and the overall environment. Childhood overweight and obesity are among the main public health problems worldwide due to the increasing prevalence and the predisposition to the development of several chronic diseases, such as cancer, hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol, and cardiovascular diseases, in addition to contributing to the worsening of respiratory diseases. However, there is a scarcity of prevalence records in Brazil during the first year of life. Inadequate nutrition and the reduction in the practice of physical activities, associated with sedentary behavior, may cause children and adolescents with obesity to experience respiratory difficulties and have a higher risk of fractures. This article aims to analyze the main health risks associated with obesity that trigger problems in the young population. The method used in this study is an integrative review carried out between January and March 2026, guided by the research question: “to analyze the main health risks associated with obesity that trigger problems in the young population.” The following inclusion criteria were adopted: studies published in Portuguese, English, and Spanish between 2004 and 2025, using the following descriptors: (obesity) AND (health OR child and adolescent), (arterial hypertension) OR (chronic diseases AND sedentary lifestyle), (diabetes AND cardiovascular diseases), found in the following databases: SciELO and PubMed. The excluded works were: duplicate studies, monographs, dissertations, and theses, as well as those that did not align with the objective of this study. Six articles from PubMed and four from SciELO were selected, totaling 10 articles. The findings concluded that changes in environments, as well as in lifestyle and family eating habits, are necessary. Among the recommendations are maintaining exclusive breastfeeding for infants until six months of age, not offering sugar or ultra-processed foods until two years of age, prioritizing fresh and minimally processed foods, offering water instead of sweetened beverages, maintaining healthy eating habits outside the home, and encouraging the practice of physical activities. If encouraged from childhood—even in the form of play—physical activity can become part of the routine and generate positive impacts in the future as well.