Community-level interventions: case studies | World Obesity Federation

Community-level interventions: case studies

Tackling obesity: What the UK can learn from other countries

This report reviews a number of policy measures and programmes implemented by national and local governments outside of the UK to address the rising prevalence of overweight and obesity. 

Developing a framework for estimating the potential impact of obesity interventions in a European city

This article tries to identify the potential comparative cost-effective of interventions at a city-level to reduce BMI and the amount of investment in different types of interventions. 

Obesity prevention in a City State: Lessons from New York City during the Bloomberg Administration

This paper examines the experiences of many of the key decision makers and others involved in undertaking this work in New York City to identify the key components required to introduce and sustain the government’s reforms to address the obesogenic environment. 

What can be learned from the Amsterdam Healthy Weight programme to inform the policy response to obesity in England?

This report is the response to a request made to OPRU on 16 November 2017 by the Department of Health to answer the question: "What can be learned from the Amsterdam Healthy Weight programme to inform the policy response to obesity in England?" 

EPODE approach for childhood obesity prevention: methods, progress and international development

The aim of this paper is to provide a detailed description of Ensemble Prévenons l’Obsésité des Enfants (EPODE) methodology. 

A Statewide Strategy to Battle Child Obesity in Delaware

This paper aims to provide an overview of the 5-2-1-Almost None prevention initiative developed by Nemours and implemented in Delaware. 

Improving weight status in childhood: results from the eat well be active Community Programs

The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of eat well be active intervention, programmes which aim to contribute to the healthy weight of children and young people and their families in chosen communities. 

Shaping Up Somerville: A community initiative in Massachusetts

This short piece presents the Shape Up Somerville intervention and identifies some of the critical factors that led to its success.

Economic Evaluation of a Community-based Obesity Prevention Program in Children: The APPLE Project

The aim of this study was to assess the costs of implementing APPLE in relation to effects on weight, including any benefits in health-related quality of life terms. 

Obesity Prevention: A Systematic Review of Setting-Based Interventions from Nordic Countries and the Netherlands

The aim of this review was to identify, synthesise and evaluate the quality of interventions aimed at preventing obesity in different settings from Nordic countries and the Netherlands. 

Community-based pilot intervention to tackle childhood obesity: a whole system approach

The aim of this paper is to describe the methodology and the practical steps in developing the Go-Golborne programme. 

Process evaluation of an up-scaled community based child obesity treatment program: NSW Go4Fun®

This paper “describes the up-scaling of Go4Fun in New South Wales and the characteristics of the population it has reached and retained since inception in 2009, including characteristics of children who completed and did not complete the programme.”

Putting Health into Place: Introducing NHS England's Healthy New Towns programme

Established by NHS England, the Healthy New Towns is "a three-year programme, to look at how health and wellbeing can be planned and designed into new places." 

Pop up Parks

Pop up Parks is "a global movement that supports, shares and implements projects that invite people to be more playful and creative in urban environments." 

The intervention of childhood obesity and adolescents in Shantou city

In this study, the effects of a multicomponent, school-based intervention for childhood obesity in Shantou city was analysed.

Reducing unhealthy weight gain in Fijian adolescents: results of the Healthy Youth Healthy Communities study

The Healthy Youth Healthy Communities study (HYHC) study, which is part of the Pacific Obesity Prevention in Communities project, is a three-year obesity prevention intervention on Fijian children and adolescents.

A Community Intervention Reduces BMI z-score in children: Shape Up Somerville First Year Results

Shape up Somerville (SUS): Eat Smart, Play Hard, is 'one of the first collaborative community-based participatory research initiatives designed to change the environment to prevent obesity in early elementary school-age children'.

Interventions for preventing obesity in children

The goal of this article was to 'update the evidence base for children given the exponential growth of studies in this field [and] ensure that the review remains current and practice ]relevant, with particular regard for health equity'.

Effect of a Culturally Adapted Behavioral Intervention for Latino Adults on Weight Loss Over 2 Years

One way to intervene in the Latino community to reduce levels of obesity is technology-mediated weight-loss strategies. This two-year behavioural intervention used technology to reach a wide range of the Latino community.

Tackling childhood obesity in the community using a participatory action research project with local children and young people.

Health professionals in White City (London, UK) 'hypothesised that a programme to signpost activities in the area and motivate individuals to take these up would improve behaviour and self-esteem'.

Downward trends in the prevalence of childhood overweight in the setting of 12-year school-and community-based programmes

In 1992, a nutritional programme was instituted in schools in two towns in northern France, with other community-based interventions after. This study reviews the outcomes of the study following the children for the next 12 years, compared to children in two similar non-intervention schools.

Testing the feasibility of a sustainable preschool obesity prevention approach: a mixed-methods service evaluation of a volunteer-led HENRY programme

The UK charity HENRY has been providing evidence-based behaviour change programmes to parents across the UK to reduce childhood obesity. They intervene at a parental level to help parents achieve healthier outcomes for themselves and their children.

Reducing obesity in early childhood: results from Romp & Chomp, an Australian community-wide intervention program

The multi-setting, multi-strategy intervention in the city of Geelong took place from 2004 to 2008 and used community capacity building and environmental changes to 'increase healthy eating and active play in early childhood care and educational settings'.

Randomised Controlled Trial of the MEND Program: A Family-based Community Intervention for Childhood Obesity

The physical and physiological impacts of obesity on a person are well documented. In order to address paediatric obesity in London, The Mind, Exercise, Nutrition, Do It (MEND) community-based programme was implemented on a group of 54 8-12-year-olds.