NUTRITIONAL INTERVENTIONS IN THE TREATMENT OF PEDIATRIC OBESITY: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

Abstract

Pediatric obesity has emerged as a global public health challenge, with its associated complications having significant impacts on children's long-term health. Nutritional interventions play a crucial role in managing this condition, aiming to promote healthy eating habits from childhood, and potentially prevent metabolic and cardiovascular complications in the future. A systematic review of the literature on nutritional interventions in pediatric obesity provides valuable insights to guide clinical practice and public health policy. Objective: The objective of this systematic review is to critically analyze nutritional interventions applied in the treatment of pediatric obesity, focusing on the effectiveness, safety and feasibility of these approaches, in order to provide robust evidence to guide clinical management strategies and public health interventions. Methodology: Using the PRISMA checklist, this systematic review included articles published in the last 10 years, obtained from the PubMed, Scielo and Web of Science databases. The descriptors used were "pediatric obesity", "nutritional intervention", "children", "treatment" and "systematic review". The inclusion criteria covered studies that investigated nutritional interventions in children with obesity, with analysis of outcomes related to body weight, body composition and cardiometabolic risk factors. The exclusion criteria involved studies unrelated to the topic, narrative reviews and studies with exclusively adult samples. Results: The results of this review highlighted several nutritional approaches employed in the treatment of pediatric obesity, including calorie restriction, dietary modifications, behavioral interventions, and nutrition education. Evidence suggests that multifaceted interventions, focusing on lifestyle change, tend to be more effective in the long term. Furthermore, personalized strategies, adapted to the individual needs of the child and their family, have demonstrated better results. Conclusion: This systematic review highlights the importance of nutritional interventions in the treatment of pediatric obesity, emphasizing the need for integrated and personalized approaches to improve long-term outcomes. Implementing effective clinical strategies and public health policies can play a key role in mitigating the growing impact of childhood obesity on global health.