Övervikt hos barn och ungdomar, psykiska och sociala orsaker och konsekvenser samt förebyggande åtgärder. En litteraturstudie.

Sammanfattning: The aim of this study was to describe the mental and social causes to obesity among children and adolescents, their consequences and what preventive interventions that are used. The method used by the authors was to search for scientific articles in the database Medline, using the keywords: obesity, overweight, child, body image, social, family, school, depression, nursing, quality of life, social support, prevention and support. The study was performed as a literature review, with a descriptive design, and the result contained 22 scientific articles. The main result of this study showed that obesity among children and adolescents is not only an individual problem, it affects the whole family. The main causes to obesity among children and adolescents are the socioeconomic status of the family, their lifestyle, and even gender to a certain degree. The main consequences were that the quality of life for the obese children and adolescents has worsened, and they are less active. The main preventive interventions were that breast-feeding had a positive effect, as well as physical activity, and support for the whole family. Obesity among children and adolescents is an increasing problem in the Western world. There are many factors involved, which makes it a very complicated and difficult problem to solve.