Methodological approach to the assessment of the obesogenic environment in children and adolescents: A review of the literature

Childhood and adolescent obesity has been defined as a planetary epidemic by WHO "globesity". The obesogenic environment, defined as a life environment promoting a high-energy intake and a sedentary lifestyle, significantly contributes to the genesis and the diffusion of the globesity. In the last decades, several authors and working groups tried to develop methodological instruments in order to guarantee a reliable analysis of an obesogenic environment. Their efforts have led to the production of a relatively large number of questionnaires with different characteristics. The general aim of these questionnaires is to identify the factors that significantly contribute to the creation of an obesogenic environment around children and adolescents. As a result of this work, a number of studies were carried out using such questionnaires. Aim of this review is to evaluate ad hoc questionnaires useful to identify and analyze obesogenic environment.