PREVALENCE AND RISK FACTORS FOR CHILDHOOD OBESITY: SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS

Childhood obesity is a public health problem that has acquired increasing proportions worldwide, raising morbidity and mortality rates in preschool children, especially in the age group of 2 to 5 years. Given this context, there is a need to identify the risk factors that may be associated with the event, as well as to identify the average prevalence of existing cases. Objective: To identify the prevalence and risk factors of childhood obesity from the gestational period to the age group of 5 years. Method: This is a systematic review with meta-analysis. They were searched in Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus and Embase sources between the period of October and December 2022. Risk of bias analysis was performed using OBS version 9.0 software and statistics using R 4.0 software. The construction of the research question was done by the PICOT format, (P) population in the age group 0-5 years, (I) child health, (C) no comparison group, (O) the impact on children's health, (T) no pre-established period. To manage the results we used EndNote to exclude duplicate articles, then the Rayyan QCRI® program to select the texts. Results: Initially 6,229 studies were found, 14 met the eligibility criteria. With the pooled analysis of the studies, it was possible to verify a 5% Odds ratio for significant obesity, with a confidence interval between 4% and 7%. The results indicate that among the causes are genetic factors, endocrine dysfunctions and lifestyle, which includes unbalanced diet and lack of physical activity, with the prevalence being higher among girls in the age group. Conclusion: Several risk factors are positively associated with the development of childhood obesity, which leads to a considerable need for the implementation of preventive strategies, due to the fact that much of the evidence is inconclusive so far, because many studies cite cultural factors, which are linked to eating habits, as one of the reasons for childhood obesity. Therefore, more controlled studies should be conducted to provide more conclusive data for more specific intervention measures. Thus, it is suggested that future studies may be conducted taking into account the cultural factor in eating