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Open research questions in Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet

990 gap statements mined from Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet papers in our 7.9M-paper local library, which holds 6,897 papers on the topic — drawn mostly from each paper's own stated research gap, future-work, challenge and limitation notes, and its abstract. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one.

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What the literature leaves open

  • School-based obesity prevention research in American Indian communities remains limited. Prior research has not been successful in improving weight status in AIAN youth. There is a need for effective interventions that address the unique needs and context of American Indian communities.

    A study protocol for rural tribal school partnerships for the primary prevention of obesity among American Indian youth (P2) · 2026 · DOI

  • Future studies incorporating individual, household, behavioral, and environmental characteristics are needed to better characterize the factors associated with these trajectories - To examine the mechanisms underlying the observed differences across population groups and contexts.

    Longitudinal BMI-for-Age Trajectories Among Mexican School-Aged Children, 2015–2019 · 2026 · DOI

  • Cross-sectional estimates do not capture within-child changes in BMI over time. Prior studies have not characterized longitudinal BMI-for-age trajectories among Mexican school-aged children. There is a need to examine the relationship between individual and school-context characteristics and BMI-for-age trajectories.

    Longitudinal BMI-for-Age Trajectories Among Mexican School-Aged Children, 2015–2019 · 2026 · DOI

  • The applicability of the activity displacement hypothesis may vary across settings. There is a need to understand the relationship between electronic-device use, physical activity, and overweight/obesity in specific populations.

    Screen time, physical activity, and overweight/obesity among school-aged children and adolescents in Heilongjiang Province, China: a cross-sectional study · 2026 · DOI

  • Analyzing trends in BMI and overweight prevalence among children and adolescents is challenging due to the need for longitudinal data. The study faces the challenge of defining overweight and obesity using sex- and age-specific BMI cut-offs.

    Trends in body mass index among Chinese children and adolescents aged 7–15, 2010–2022 · 2026 · DOI

  • The lack of unique longitudinal student identifiers, which prevented the identification of repeated observations of the same child across years. The potential for selection bias from incomplete reporting, differential testing participation, or unmeasured composition.

    BMI distribution and sex- and grade-specific trends in primary school health surveillance records in Xi’an, China, 2014–2024: a repeated cross-sectional study · 2026 · DOI

  • The lack of studies examining the association between child-perceived family functioning and screen time.

    Associations of Parent-Reported Family Functioning, Screen Time, and Adiposity with Child-Perceived Family Functioning: A Cross-Sectional Study · 2026 · DOI

  • It highlights the need for more effective intervention models for strengthening the overall health of workers.

    Young Workers and Lifestyles in a Mediterranean Cultural Context: What Is the Contribution of Occupational Health Promotion? · 2025 · DOI

  • Prior work has shown that truck drivers are exposed to precarious working conditions, but the specific health risks associated with this lifestyle are not well understood.

    Obesity, High Blood Pressure and Monocytosis in Truck Drivers of the Western Border of a State in Southern Brazil: A Cross-Sectional Study · 2025 · DOI

  • There is a lack of studies investigating the combined influence of maternal sociodemographic, socioeconomic, anthropometric characteristics, and lifestyle factors on the physical and mental health status of preschool-aged children. The study aims to fill this gap by exploring the associations between maternal factors and childhood health outcomes.

    Association of Maternal Sociodemographic, Anthropometric, and Lifestyle Factors with Childhood Anthropometric Measures and Anxiety Symptoms: A Nationally Representative Cross-Sectional Study of Preschool-Aged Children in Greece · 2025 · DOI

  • The research highlights the need to explore the mediation role of recreational physical activity in this relationship.

    Mediation Role of Recreational Physical Activity in the Relationship between the Dietary Intake of Live Microbes and the Systemic Immune-Inflammation Index: A Real-World Cross-Sectional Study · 2024 · DOI

  • The authors note that BMI cut-offs must be reconsidered in populations of varying body build, age, and/or ethnicity. The paper highlights the need for a more comprehensive approach to assessing adult obesity, beyond sole reliance on BMI.

    Advantages and Limitations of the Body Mass Index (BMI) to Assess Adult Obesity · 2024 · DOI

  • Future research is warranted to examine weight management strategies as an integral part of the primary and secondary prevention of ASCVD.

    A retrospective analysis of health care utilization and costs by body mass index category among adults with, or at risk of, cardiovascular disease · 2026 · DOI

  • However, the phenotypic characterization of risk heterogeneity across the full body mass index (BMI) spectrum under this framework - and its prognostic implications for mortality and cardiovascular outcomes - remain to be elucidated.

    Redefining Obesity and Risk: Extending the 2024 European Association for the Study of Obesity Framework with Morbidity Stratification in the UK Biobank · 2026 · DOI

  • Although complementary feeding has been widely studied, the influence of portion size during this stage on subsequent overweight risk remains unclear.

    Association Between Food Portions During Complementary Feeding and Later Overweight Risk: Analysis From European Childhood Obesity Project · 2026 · DOI

  • Although ACS has been associated with favourable body composition and selected cardiometabolic markers, its association with specific ectopic fat depots remains unclear in paediatric populations.

    Differences in Fat Depots, Cardiometabolic Risk Factors, and Insulin Resistance Between Active and Passive School Commuters · 2026 · DOI

  • Future research should explore causal pathways and broader environmental influences.

    Prevalence and Associated Factors of Overweight and Obesity among Adolescent Girls in Isfahan, Iran: A Cross-Sectional Study · 2026 · DOI

  • It's well known that obesity is a significant risk factor for dyslipidemia in the general population, but research related to individuals with mental disorders remains scarce.

    Association between BMI and dyslipidemia in patients with severe mental disorders: An electronic health record study · 2026 · DOI

  • This study provides initial indications that energy intake, in interaction with psychological and physiological factors, may be relevant to understanding BWL and BWLM in pediatric obesity, warranting further investigation.

    Predictors of Body Weight Loss and Body Weight Loss Maintenance in Children and Adolescents following Inpatient Multidisciplinary Obesity Treatment · 2025 · DOI

  • Promotion of peer-based interventions could be explored as a strategy to promote healthy weight trajectories.

    Social connections with family and friends in adolescence: Shaping body mass index trajectories into adulthood · 2025 · DOI

  • The study was cross-sectional. The sample size was limited (197 dyads). Psychiatric follow-up was an exclusion criterion. The study did not establish the clinical utility or incremental predictive value of assessing family functioning.

    Associations of Parent-Reported Family Functioning, Screen Time, and Adiposity with Child-Perceived Family Functioning: A Cross-Sectional Study · 2026 · DOI

  • However, the specific relation between SES and food consumption in toddlers and preschoolers is poorly understood.

    Unfavourable food consumption is exacerbated by low socioeconomic status among children aged 1–5 years in Germany · 2025 · DOI

  • Selection bias remains possible - Multiple imputation was not undertaken because most excluded records lacked the exposure and the available auxiliary information was insufficient to support reliable extrapolation - Measurement error cannot be ruled…

    Screen time, physical activity, and overweight/obesity among school-aged children and adolescents in Heilongjiang Province, China: a cross-sectional study · 2026 · DOI

  • Incorporating dietary intake, - Incorporating micronutrient biomarkers, - Incorporating physical activity, - Incorporating broader household and environmental…

    The double burden of anemia and excess weight among schoolchildren in Southern Peru: prevalence, associated factors, and the school food environment · 2026 · DOI

  • The repeated cross-sectional design estimates changes among annual tested populations, not within-child trajectories or causal effects, - Unique longitudinal student identifiers were unavailable, - Participation and reporting were not independently audited, - The lack of comparable eligible-school and eligible-student denominators prevented estimation of annual coverage, - Selection bias from incomplete reporting…

    BMI distribution and sex- and grade-specific trends in primary school health surveillance records in Xi’an, China, 2014–2024: a repeated cross-sectional study · 2026 · DOI

Most-cited papers in Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet

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Open questions raised by papers listed on this page include: (1) School-based obesity prevention research in American Indian communities remains limited (“A study protocol for rural tribal school partnerships for the primary…”, 2026); (2) There is a need to examine the relationship between individual and school-context characteristics and BMI-for-age trajectories (“Longitudinal BMI-for-Age Trajectories Among Mexican School-Aged Children,…”, 2026); (3) There is a need to understand the relationship between electronic-device use, physical activity, and overweight/obesity in specific populations (“Screen time, physical activity, and overweight/obesity among school-aged…”, 2026); (4) The lack of unique longitudinal student identifiers, which prevented the identification of repeated observations of the same child across years (“BMI distribution and sex- and grade-specific trends in primary school health…”, 2026); (5) The lack of studies examining the association between child-perceived family functioning and screen time (“Associations of Parent-Reported Family Functioning, Screen Time, and Adiposity…”, 2026). 990 gap statements have been mined from Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet papers in our 7.9M-paper local library, which holds 6,897 papers on the topic; the gaps come from whichever of those papers state one. They are mostly the research gaps the authors state and the papers' abstracts, plus future-work, limitations and challenges passages. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one, so you can read the original claim in context.

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