Abstract
Childhood overweight is epidemic, with rates continuing to increase among young children. Childhood overweight is strongly associated with increased children’s as well adult’s morbidity leading to decreased life expectancy thus emphasizing the need for programs specifically targeting this age group to control this problem. The etiology of obesity among young children is complicated, multifaceted and as such offers no easy solution. The long-term impact of early childhood onset obesity interventions is largely unknown. Therefore, the focus on this chapter is to present the available knowledge of behavioral, social, cultural, environmental factors, ethnicity and culture, parental perception, and food portion sizes that may be influencing childhood obesity to preschool children. Here we present the theoretical models of nutritional gatekeeper and social ecological model as frameworks for addressing the obesity epidemic. In addition, the use of effective family, community, and school-based interventions for preventing overweight and obesity and promoting healthy behaviors in children, including those with disabilities, will be examined.