GrowH!
Growing up healthy: Obesity prevention tailored to critical transition periods in the early life-course
Abstract
Obesity prevention programmes often have had only limited or short-term effects. In particular socially vulnerable groups, who are affected most, have not been reached successfully. If the known modifiable risk factors were effectively changed in a favourable direction and if this was achieved in the early life course and in the most
affected population sub-groups, the burden of obesity and its related cardio-metabolic disorders could be reduced immensely. GrowH! will take advantage of the most recent longitudinal research results on risk factors and novel participatory intervention approaches in youth to develop and test better targeted and more effective primary prevention strategies.
To this aim, GrowH! will address three research questions: (1) What is the – possibly agedependent – impact of known modifiable risk factors at critical transition periods during the early life-course and which hypothetical interventions would result in the strongest reduction of overweight, obesity and their sequelae later in life? (2) Can two different novel participatory intervention approaches that have shown first promising effects be successfully transferred to socially disadvantaged populations in Spain and Germany and can these then be scaled-up sustainably by operational stakeholders? (3) What are the structural and regulatory requirements and conditions for the implementation and up-scaling of the developed intervention approaches onto a regional, national or international level from a whole systems perspective? The answers to these questions will feed into a policy guidance that will be worked out and disseminated for wider use and sustainability of the available evidence in a European context together with public health societies and the WHO.
Consortium
| Partner Organization | Partner Country |
|---|---|
| VU University Medical Center (VUMC), Amsterdam Public Health research institute | The Netherlands |
| Amsterdam University Medical Center (AMC), Amsterdam Public Health research institute | The Netherlands |
| State Association for Health and Academy for Social Medicine Lower Saxony (LVG) | Germany |
| Ghent University (UGENT) | Belgium |
| University of Zaragoza (UNIZAR) | Spain |
| Sciensano, Directorate Epidemiology and Public Health (Collaborator) | Belgium |
| University of Guelph (Collaborator) | Canada |
Products
Author: Ronja Foraita, Janine Witte, Claudia Börnhorst, Wencke Gwozdz, Valeria Pala, Lauren Lissner, Fabio Lauria, Lucia Reisch, Dénes Molnár, Stefaan De Henauw, Luis Moreno, Toomas Veidebaum, Michael Tornaritis, Iris Pigeot, Vanessa Didelez
Magazine: Scientific Report
Start- and endpage: 2024
Link: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-56721-y
Author: Linda Fliegner, Jördis Knoblauch, Elisabeth Rataj
Magazine: impu!se
Start- and endpage: 19-20
Author: Anton Schreuder, Claudia Börnhorst, Maike Wolters, Toomas Veidebaum, Michael Tornaritis, Elida Sina, Paola Russo, Luis A. Moreno, Dénes Molnár, Lauren Lissner, Stefaan De Henauw, Wolfgang Ahrens, Tanja Vrijkotte, GrowH! Consortium
Magazine: Pediatric Obesity
Start- and endpage: e13088
Link: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ijpo.13088
Author: Claudia Börnhorst, Wolfgang Ahrens, Stefaan De Henauw, Monica Hunsberger, Dénes Molnár, Luis A. Moreno, Paola Russo, Anton Schreuder, Elida Sina, Michael Tornaritis, Stefanie Vandevijvere, Toomas Veidebaum, Tanja Vrijkotte, Kathleen Wijnant, Maike Wolters, on behalf of the GrowH! consortium
Magazine: Int J Publ Health
Link: https://doi.org/10.3389/ijph.2023.1605798
Author: Claudia Börnhorst, Iris Pigeot, Stefaan De Henauw, Annarita Formisano, Lauren Lissner, Dénes Molnár, Luis A. Moreno, Michael Tornaritis, Toomas Veidebaum, Tanja Vrijkotte, Vanessa Didelez and Maike Wolters, on behalf of the GrowH! consortium
Magazine: Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act
Start- and endpage: Article number: 100
Link: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-023-01501-6
Author: Katharina Herberg, Linda Fliegner, Elisabeth Rataj, Jördis Knoblauch
Magazine: impu!se
Start- and endpage: 19-20
Reports
Progress
WP1. Creating an evidence base for effective obesity interventions in the early life-course
We developed and validated an obesity risk score that predicts high-risk children over a four-year period.
We observed age-specific associations between 34 risk factors and overweight/obesity in the early life course independent of parental education. The age of 9 to 11 years seems to be a sensitive time window for the adoption of unfavourable behaviours.
Cross-comparison of the IDEFICS/I.Family and ABCD cohorts revealed marked differences in health behaviour trajectories across European regions.
WP2. Development of proof-of-feasibility studies on a local level
We established an international multidisciplinary systems advisory board (SSAB), consisting of 6 systems science experts. The valuable advice of the board is being integrated in the project plans.
The protocols for the proof-of-feasibility studies in Bremen and Zaragoza are finalized, ethical approval is obtained, and both studies have started.
A scoping review will summarize the existing systems frameworks for childhood obesity prevention, and and will highlight the key elements related to the content, and the process of such a systems approach.
WP3. Implementation and evaluation of proof-of-feasibility studies
In Bremen, 6 focus groups helped to adapt the intervention and materials to the local context. The evaluation concept was finalised, including study measurements and standard operation procedures. Health educators of the local operational stakeholder received training in motivational interviewing.
In Zaragoza the participatory needs assessment has been completed. Three so-called ‘participatory action teams’, consisting of 6-8 children aged 9-10 and one facilitator, explored health behaviours, learned research skills, conducted peer-research, and created overviews to understand the (local) system and identify ‘leverage points’ for actions to improve their (system) behaviours.
WP4. Integration of the obtained evidence and know-how into a systems-oriented policy guidance
A systems mapping protocol for the two interventions is being finalized, including stakeholder mapping, neighbourhood mapping and causal loop diagram building.
The stakeholder mapping in Zaragoza revealed 46 potential stakeholders relating to the field of childhood obesity prevention, belonging to civil society organisations, government institutions, healthcare providers, the research community, and private businesses.
The causal loop diagram building for Zaragoza has been conducted as part of the participatory needs assessment (see WP3).
WP5. Project coordination and management
All activities were initiated in time and operational stakeholders became actively involved despite the restrictions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
First steps have been taken towards creating a network involving early career researchers within PREPHOBES projects, initiated with the support of GrowH! partners involved in the JPI-HDHL project Policy Evaluation Network.
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