OVERNUTRITION AND OBESITY OF PRESCHOOL CHILDREN

Obesity is a growing concern in the developing world. The aim of this review is to analyze the research that studied the prevalence of obesity in preschool children in the period from 2001 to 2022. We collected 46 surveys. There are three sets of growth references commonly used to assess a child's weight status and health risk: BMI limit values published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF), and those published by the World Health Organization (WHO). Based on this, there are the following categories: malnutrition, normal nutrition, excessive nutrition and obesity. In accordance with the aim of this research, we collected data only on overnourished and obese children. The research has shown that the prevalence of overnourished and obese preschool children is high on all continents, regardless of which recommendations are used to define them. However, the most alarming data on obese preschool children are provided by studies that used the recommendations of the CDC (CDC - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). The research shows that the highest prevalence of overnourished and obese preschool children is in North America. Such data are provided by research conducted by CDC, WHO and IOTF. The prevalence of overnourished and obese preschool children is not better in Europe either. Certain studies from Asia and Africa show us that their children have not yet caught up with their peers from North America and Europe in the prevalence of overnutrition and obesity. Research shows that there is a connection between overnutrition/obesity and socio-economic status of parents, daily routines, education of parents, duration of breastfeeding, degree of nutrition of parents, area where children live, the eating habits.