Despite being a worry for several decades, excess weight in childhood and adolescence remains one of the most critical challenges in world health. According to recent estimates, 40 million children under the age of five and over 330 million children and adolescents aged five to nineteen were overweight or obese in 2016. Obesity or being overweight as a youngster has serious short- and long-term implications. Children who are overweight or obese are more likely to develop psychological comorbidities such as depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, a variety of emotional and behavioural disorders, asthma, low-grade systemic inflammation, liver complications, and musculoskeletal problems, particularly in the lower extremities, in the short term. Overweight and obese children are more likely to develop metabolic and cardiovascular risk factors, such as high blood pressure, dyslipidaemia, type 2-diabetes, and other cardiovascular abnormalities.
