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Comprehensive application of a systems approach to obesity prevention: a scoping review of empirical evidence

Version 2 2024-06-03, 00:11
Version 1 2023-09-25, 04:01
journal contribution
posted on 2024-06-03, 00:11 authored by B Li, M Alharbi, S Allender, B Swinburn, R Peters, C Foster
A systems approach to obesity prevention is increasingly urged. However, confusion exists on what a systems approach entails in practice, and the empirical evidence on this new approach is unclear. This scoping review aimed to identify and synthesise studies/programmes that have comprehensively applied a systems approach to obesity prevention in intervention development, delivery/implementation, and evaluation. By searching international databases and grey literature, only three studies (10 publications) met inclusion criteria, which might be explained partially by suboptimal reporting. No conclusion on the effectiveness of this approach can be drawn yet due to the limited evidence base. We identified common features shared by the included studies, such as measuring ongoing changes, in addition to endpoint outcomes, and supporting capacity building. Some facilitators and barriers to applying a comprehensive systems approach in practice were identified. More well-designed and reported studies are needed, especially from low- and middle-income countries.

History

Journal

Frontiers in Public Health

Volume

11

Article number

ARTN 1015492

Pagination

1-11

Location

Lausanne, Switzerland

ISSN

2296-2565

eISSN

2296-2565

Language

eng

Publication classification

C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal

Publisher

Frontiers Media