Introduction: Overweight and obesity among children in Sweden is becoming more frequent. In Sweden over 300 000 children is believed to be overweight or obese and the subject is therefore a public health problem. Overweight and obesity can cause large costs for the society and deteriorating health for the children.
Purpose: The purpose of this literature review was to understand and highlight the causes for increased overweight and obesity among children under the age of 18 in Sweden.
Method: The literature review was performed by using searches in the databases PubMed and CINAHL in which ten scientific articles were chosen.
Result: Sleep, socioeconomic status, illness, diet, physical activity and mental illness are all reasons that have contributed to the increased overweight and obesity among children in Sweden.
Discussion: The causes regarding overweight and obesity among swedish children is hard to determine, this literature review shows some reasons that in many cases are connected. The subject is complex and requires large-scale actions to deal with.