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Children
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Childhood Obesity: Prevention, Intervention and Treatment
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Childhood Obesity: Prevention, Intervention and Treatment

A special issue of Children (ISSN 2227-9067). This special issue belongs to the section "Global Pediatric Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 March 2026) | Viewed by 6410

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Eileen Chaves

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Center for Healthy Weight and Nutrition (CHWN), Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA
Interests: genetic obesity; patient experience; pediatric obesity; shared decision-making; ther-apeutic alliance
Dr. Alaina Vidmar

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Interests: pediatric obesity; obesity pharmacotherapies; pediatric metabolic and bariatric surgery; time-restricted eating
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Childhood obesity has become a significant public health challenge globally, with rates steadily increasing in recent decades. Childhood obesity is associated with various adverse health outcomes, including diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and psychological effects, which can persist into adulthood. Despite efforts to combat this issue, it remains a major concern that requires continued attention and intervention.

This Special Issue seeks to address the multifaceted aspects of childhood obesity, focusing on prevention, intervention strategies, and treatment options. We aim to highlight cutting-edge research that explores innovative approaches to combat childhood obesity, including public health initiatives, lifestyle interventions, and medical treatments. By gathering interdisciplinary perspectives, the goal is to create a comprehensive resource for scholars, practitioners, and policymakers.

We are soliciting original research articles, reviews, and case studies that examine various dimensions of childhood obesity. We welcome contributions that investigate prevention methods, the effectiveness of interventions, treatment protocols, and the long-term impacts of obesity management on children’s health and development.

Dr. Eileen Chaves
Dr. Alaina Vidmar
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Children is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • childhood obesity
  • prevention
  • intervention
  • treatment
  • public health
  • childhood health
  • lifestyle changes
  • pediatric obesity
  • obesity management
  • health policies

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 271 KB  
Article
Does Bedtime Really Matter? Examining How Sleep Timing Relates to Sleep Duration and Overweight Status in Midwestern Latine Youth
by Blake L. Jones, Bethany Lundy, Dakin Stovall, Benjamin D. Seely, Kelsey Zaugg, Joshua Castro, Kara M. Duraccio, Chad D. Jensen, Tanya Austin and Zoe E. Taylor
Children 2026, 13(1), 32; https://doi.org/10.3390/children13010032 - 26 Dec 2025
Viewed by 768
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Overweight and obesity is a continuing health concern for preadolescent youth. We assessed associations between sleep timing and sleep duration and body mass index/body composition in Latine youth. Methods: Participants were 119 Latine youth (mean age 11.53 year; 58.8% girls) [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Overweight and obesity is a continuing health concern for preadolescent youth. We assessed associations between sleep timing and sleep duration and body mass index/body composition in Latine youth. Methods: Participants were 119 Latine youth (mean age 11.53 year; 58.8% girls) and their mothers living in the rural Midwestern U.S. Youth reported their average bedtime and waking time. Heights and weights for children and mothers were measured by trained research assistants and were used to calculate BMI scores (in mothers), as well as BMI percentiles and overweight status (in youth). Mothers completed surveys for demographic variables. Results: Youth who went to bed before 9:30 PM (mean bedtime) obtained more sleep than those with later bedtimes (9.73 h vs. 8.63 h, respectively, t(117) = 7.88, p < 0.001). Each extra hour of sleep duration was associated with a decreased risk of being overweight (OR = 0.53 for weeknight sleep, OR = 0.67 for weekend night sleep), and each hour later to bed was related to increased risk for being overweight (OR = 2.35 on weeknights, and OR = 1.66 on weekend nights). To replicate previous work, we broke the youth up into four sleep timing groups: early-to-bed and early-to-rise (EE), early-to-bed and late-to-rise (EL), late-to-bed and early-to-rise (LE), and late-to-bed and late-to-rise (LL). Youth with LL sleep patterns on weeknights were much more likely to be overweight compared to youth with EE patterns (OR = 4.94). On weekend nights, compared to EE weekend youth, LE and LL weekend youth were more likely to be overweight (OR = 3.45 and OR = 3.32, respectively). Wake times were not significantly related to overweight risk. Conclusions: Sleep timing patterns, especially sleep duration and earlier bedtimes, may be important to address in future research on obesity interventions. Findings suggest that earlier bedtimes may play an important and complimentary role in health, in addition to sleep duration alone, and this study highlights the need for more research in underserved, minoritized populations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Childhood Obesity: Prevention, Intervention and Treatment)
15 pages, 822 KB  
Article
The Edmonton Obesity Staging System for Pediatrics (EOSS-P) in Mexican Children and Adolescents Living with Obesity: Beyond BMI Obesity Classes
by Isabel Omaña-Guzmán, Roberto Carlos Rodríguez Quintero, Arturo Ruíz-Arroyo, Edith Prado Díaz, Juan Carlos López-Alvarenga, Ana María Hernández López, Zendy Fuentes Corona, Karina Aguilar Cuarto, Karen Pedraza Escudero, Alejandra Ruíz Barranco, Erendira Villanueva-Ortega and Nayely Garibay-Nieto
Children 2025, 12(11), 1556; https://doi.org/10.3390/children12111556 - 17 Nov 2025
Viewed by 1273
Abstract
Background/Objectives: The Edmonton Obesity Staging System (EOSS) was developed to stage the obesity in adult populations. Subsequently, this staging system was designed for pediatric populations (EOSS-P). This study aimed to describe obesity severity using EOSS-P and correlate it with BMI classes in Mexican [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: The Edmonton Obesity Staging System (EOSS) was developed to stage the obesity in adult populations. Subsequently, this staging system was designed for pediatric populations (EOSS-P). This study aimed to describe obesity severity using EOSS-P and correlate it with BMI classes in Mexican children and adolescents living with obesity. Methods: This is a cross-sectional analysis carried out with data from school-age children and adolescents living with obesity who were referred to the Pediatric Obesity Clinic at the Child Welfare Unit at the General Hospital of Mexico “Dr. Eduardo Liceaga”. Obesity was staged using the EOSS-P. To evaluate the association between obesity classes and each EOSS-P domain, as well as overall EOSS-P staging, we performed Bayesian ordered logistic regression models. Results: A total of 118 participants were included; 43.2% were female and 56.8% were male. Based on the overall EOSS-P staging, 56.8% of participants were classified as stage 3, while none were categorized as stage 0. Obesity class II-III was associated with higher odds for the mechanical (OR = 2.5), metabolic (OR = 1.9), and social (OR = 1.6) domains. Conclusions: Pediatric obesity assessment should extend beyond BMI to include the evaluation of metabolic, mechanical, and psychological domains, identifying health complications and barriers that may impact treatment effectiveness and adherence. The EOSS-P is a valuable tool for staging pediatric obesity based on these domains and can guide personalized clinical decision-making. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Childhood Obesity: Prevention, Intervention and Treatment)
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20 pages, 2493 KB  
Article
“It’s Not Healthy to Be Too Large”—A Qualitative Study Using Participatory Methods to Explore Children’s and Adolescents’ Perspectives on Obesity Treatment and Body Image
by Tove Langlo Drilen, Trine Tetlie Eik-Nes, Rønnaug Astri Ødegård and Ellen Margrete Iveland Ersfjord
Children 2025, 12(10), 1353; https://doi.org/10.3390/children12101353 - 9 Oct 2025
Viewed by 1700
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Qualitative child-centered research on pediatric obesity treatment and body image remains limited. This study aimed to explore children’s and adolescents’ experiences with hospital-based obesity treatment and how these experiences relate to body image. Methods: A full-day workshop including three main participatory tasks [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Qualitative child-centered research on pediatric obesity treatment and body image remains limited. This study aimed to explore children’s and adolescents’ experiences with hospital-based obesity treatment and how these experiences relate to body image. Methods: A full-day workshop including three main participatory tasks was conducted in two groups of children (9–13 years) and adolescents (14–18 years), focusing on their experiences with obesity treatment and body image. Data were audiotaped, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Results: Four main themes emerged, reflecting different aspects of participants’ experiences. The first theme, Talk with me and not my parents, encompassed participants’ desire for greater agency, as children described lacking information and feeling excluded from consultations. The second theme, Experiences of communication with healthcare professionals (HCPs) about obesity, concerned participants’ perceptions of trust, support, and non-judgmental communication, with some adolescents expressing a need for additional psychological support. The third theme, Internalization of lifestyle advice, indicated that healthy diet was viewed as the primary focus of obesity treatment, while physical activity received less attention. The final theme, Perceptions of the body, conveyed mixed experiences with weighing and most participants perceived weight loss as success in treatment and weight gain as failure. The participants shared experiences of weight-based bullying, perceived stigma, and challenges with maintaining a positive body image in a society with stereotypical thin and muscular body ideals. Conclusions: Body image was influenced by HCPs’ emphasis on health and body size, and by their own internalized perceptions, influenced by societal ideals and experiences of stigma. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Childhood Obesity: Prevention, Intervention and Treatment)
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20 pages, 576 KB  
Article
Effectiveness of a Physiotherapy Stress-Management Protocol on Cardiorespiratory, Metabolic and Psychological Indicators of Children and Adolescents with Morbid Obesity
by Pelagia Tsakona, Alexandra Hristara-Papadopoulou, Thomas Apostolou, Ourania Papadopoulou, Ioannis Kitsatis, Eleni G. Paschalidou, Christos Tzimos, Maria G. Grammatikopoulou and Kyriaki Tsiroukidou
Children 2025, 12(8), 1010; https://doi.org/10.3390/children12081010 - 31 Jul 2025
Viewed by 2025
Abstract
Background: Chronic stress in childhood and adolescence leads to excessive cortisol secretion, adipokines production and obesity with all the negative mental and physical effects on the health of individuals and adulthood. Objectives: The aim of the present non-randomized controlled trial was to investigate [...] Read more.
Background: Chronic stress in childhood and adolescence leads to excessive cortisol secretion, adipokines production and obesity with all the negative mental and physical effects on the health of individuals and adulthood. Objectives: The aim of the present non-randomized controlled trial was to investigate the effect of a stress management protocol with diaphragmatic breathing (DB) and physiotherapy exercise on stress, body composition, cardiorespiratory and metabolic markers of children and adolescents with morbid obesity. Methods: The study included 31 children and adolescents (5–18 years old) with morbid obesity (22 in the intervention arm and 9 controls). All participants completed anxiety questionnaires and a self-perception scale. Forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC), blood pressure (BP) and SpO2 were measured. Fasting glucose, uric acid, triglycerides, HbA1c, (AST/SGOT), (ALT/SGPT), HDL, LDL, insulin, ACTH, cortisol, HOMA-IR, 17-OH, S-DHEA, SHBG were assessed, and anthropometric measurements were also performed. Results: In the intervention group, 4 months after the treatment, an improvement was noted in the BMI, BMI z-score, waist-to-height ratio, FEV1, SpO2, pulse and systolic BP. HDL increased, ALT/SGPT and insulin resistance improved. Positive changes were observed in temporary and permanent stress and self-esteem of children in the intervention group, including anxiety, self-perception, physical appearance, etc. Conclusions: A combined exercise and DB protocol has a positive effect on stress, by improving body composition, reducing insulin resistance, and ameliorating physical and mental health and quality of life of pediatric patients with morbid obesity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Childhood Obesity: Prevention, Intervention and Treatment)
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