Moving Toward Health: Lifestyle Behaviors, Chronic Diseases, and Public Health in Children and Adolescents

Chronic diseases such as type 1 and type 2 diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and mental health disorders are increasingly prevalent among children and adolescents worldwide, representing a major public health challenge. These conditions are intricately linked through modifiable lifestyle factors, where physical inactivity, sedentary behavior, poor dietary habits, insufficient sleep, and low health literacy can shape metabolic and psychosocial trajectories long before clinical symptoms appear in adulthood. Although progress has been made in treating pediatric chronic conditions, there remains an acknowledged gap in embedding lifestyle modification as a fundamental strategy for prevention and disease management from childhood onward.This Research Topic aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the current evidence on the pathways linking lifestyle behaviors to chronic diseases in pediatric populations, the effectiveness of interventions across settings, and how this knowledge can be translated into practice for young populations and their families. We invite multidisciplinary submissions, including original research and review articles, that provide clinicians, researchers, educators, and policymakers with actionable strategies to promote healthier trajectories from childhood into adulthood.We welcome articles that address, but are not limited to, the following themes:• Pathways: Biological, behavioral, and social mechanisms connecting lifestyle factors to the onset and progression of chronic diseases in children and adolescents.• Interventions: School-based, community-based, and clinical strategies to promote healthy behaviors and improve metabolic and clinical outcomes in pediatric populations.• Knowledge: Health literacy, education, and awareness among youth, families, and healthcare providers.• Public Health Challenges: Barriers, inequalities, and policy implications for the prevention and management of chronic diseases in young populations.By bringing together multidisciplinary perspectives, this collection seeks to advance knowledge and inform evidence-based public health strategies to promote healthier trajectories from childhood into adulthood. Topic editors: Sofia Sieczkowska, Danilo Reis Coimbra, Luís Fernando Deresz, Valter Paulo Neves Miranda Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/86252/moving-toward-health-lifestyle-behaviors-chronic-diseases-and-public-health-in-children-and-adolescents