Social determinants of health (SDOH) play a large role in pediatric and adolescent metabolic health worldwide. This study is aimed at exploring key SDOH related to childhood obesity, worldwide. Primary research articles from PubMed, Embase, and Medline databases published between 2013 and 2023, had a study population 19 years of age and younger, and examined the association between WHO-defined SDOH and childhood obesity were included. Non-English papers and those outside WHO-defined SDOHs were excluded.

Findings: Of the 703 initial articles, 22 duplicates were excluded, leaving 681 unique articles from PubMed (N = 274), Medline (N = 43), and Embase (N = 364). Initial screening excluded 579 articles, and full-text screening excluded 61 more, resulting in 41 final articles. Reasons for exclusion primarily involve missing SDOH exposure or weight- related outcomes and articles being reviews, editorial/opinion pieces, or interventional studies. Most included studies were cross-sectional (N = 25) and conducted in North America (N = 22). The average study sample size was 43,640 participants. These studies focus on socioeconomic determinants, neighborhood characteristics, food environment, healthcare access, educational determinants, and immigration-related factors. Obesity- related outcomes included general obesity, severe obesity, abdominal obesity, weight gain, BMI/weight categories, and continuous BMI measures.

Authors conclude that key SDOHs of childhood obesity include socioeconomic status, neighborhood characteristics, food environment, healthcare access, immigration, and culture. Despite diverse regional studies, there is a notable gap in U.S.-specific data on SDOH of childhood obesity, especially by race and ethnicity. Further research is needed to better understand these determinants and their impact on pediatric metabolic health.