The prevalence of childhood overweight has doubled in the past two decades, leading to significant health and psychological concerns. The development of childhood overweight is influenced by a complex set of factors from multiple contexts, which can be conceptualized using Ecological Systems Theory (EST). EST emphasizes the importance of considering the context in which a child is located to understand the emergence of characteristics such as overweight. The ecological niche for a child includes the family, school, community, and society. This review uses EST as a framework to summarize research on predictors of childhood overweight, focusing on child characteristics that place children at risk, including dietary intake, physical activity, and sedentary behavior. The review highlights the need for future research to adopt a broader contextual approach, incorporating theories like EST, to understand and intervene against the processes leading to childhood overweight. Key findings include the importance of parental influence, the role of family and community characteristics, and the interaction between child characteristics and environmental factors. The review also discusses the limitations of current research and suggests that future studies should consider the dynamic systems within which risk factors for childhood overweight emerge.The prevalence of childhood overweight has doubled in the past two decades, leading to significant health and psychological concerns. The development of childhood overweight is influenced by a complex set of factors from multiple contexts, which can be conceptualized using Ecological Systems Theory (EST). EST emphasizes the importance of considering the context in which a child is located to understand the emergence of characteristics such as overweight. The ecological niche for a child includes the family, school, community, and society. This review uses EST as a framework to summarize research on predictors of childhood overweight, focusing on child characteristics that place children at risk, including dietary intake, physical activity, and sedentary behavior. The review highlights the need for future research to adopt a broader contextual approach, incorporating theories like EST, to understand and intervene against the processes leading to childhood overweight. Key findings include the importance of parental influence, the role of family and community characteristics, and the interaction between child characteristics and environmental factors. The review also discusses the limitations of current research and suggests that future studies should consider the dynamic systems within which risk factors for childhood overweight emerge.