The Role of Physical Activity and Limiting Screen Time in Preventing Obesity in Children – A Literature Review

Obesity in childhood and adolescence is a serious public health challenge, and its growing prevalence in the population correlates with lifestyle changes, including increased screen time and reduced physical activity. This narrative review synthesizes the results of studies and reports published between 2000 and 2025 that analyze the relationship between physical activity, screen time, and overweight and obesity in children and adolescents. Meta-analyses show that children who use screen devices for more than 2 hours a day have a significantly higher risk of being overweight or obese (Haghjoo et al., 2022). At the same time, regular physical activity counteracts positive energy balance and promotes the maintenance of a healthy body weight. The review also highlights indirect mechanisms—not only reduced energy expenditure, but also a tendency to snack, unhealthy eating habits, and poorer sleep quality, which overall promote the development of obesity. The results suggest that prevention should take a multidimensional approach, including limiting screen time, encouraging daily physical activity, health and nutritional education at school and in the family environment. Such comprehensive measures, taken from early childhood, can contribute to reducing the prevalence of overweight and obesity and limit their long-term health effects among the pediatric population.