Community based obesity prevention in Australia

Abstract Background In the UK, rates of childhood obesity remain high. Community based programmes for child obesity prevention are available to be commissioned by local authorities. However, there is a lack of evidence regarding how programmes are commissioned and which attributes of programmes are valued most by commissioners. The aim of this study was to determine the factors that decision-makers prioritise when commissioning programmes that target childhood obesity prevention. Methods An online discrete choice experiment (DCE) was used to survey commissioners and decision makers in the UK to assess their willingness-to-pay for childhood obesity programmes. Results A total of 64 commissioners and other decision makers completed the DCE. The impact of programmes on behavioural outcomes was prioritised, with participants willing to pay an extra £16,600/year if average daily fruit and vegetable intake increased for each child by one additional portion. Participants also prioritised programmes that had greater number of parents fully completing them, and were willing to pay an extra £4810/year for every additional parent completing a programme. The number of parents enrolling in a programme (holding the number completing fixed) and hours of staff time required did not significantly influence choices. Conclusions Emphasis on high programme completion rates and success increasing children’s fruit and vegetable intake has potential to increase commissioning of community based obesity prevention programmes.

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Collaboration in Complex Systems: Multilevel Network Analysis for Community-Based Obesity Prevention Interventions

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-019-47759-4 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Jaimie McGlashan ◽

Kayla de la Haye ◽

Peng Wang ◽

Steven Allender

Keyword(s):

Network Analysis ◽

Complex Systems ◽

Obesity Prevention ◽

Community Based ◽

Prevention Interventions

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Cost-effectiveness of community-based obesity prevention interventions in Australia

Obesity Research & Clinical Practice ◽

10.1016/j.orcp.2018.11.231 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 13 (3) ◽

pp. 321

Author(s):

Jaithri Ananthapavan ◽

Phuong Nguyen ◽

Steven J. Bowe ◽

Gary Sacks ◽

Ana Maria Mantilla Herrera ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cost Effectiveness ◽

Obesity Prevention ◽

Community Based ◽

Prevention Interventions

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Changes in weight status, quality of life and behaviours of South Australian primary school children: results from the Obesity Prevention and Lifestyle (OPAL) community intervention program

BMC Public Health ◽

10.1186/s12889-019-7710-4 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 19 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Lucinda Bell ◽

Shahid Ullah ◽

Eva Leslie ◽

Anthea Magarey ◽

Timothy Olds ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Obesity Prevention ◽

School Children ◽

Weight Status ◽

Primary School Children ◽

Healthy Weight ◽

Z Score ◽

Community Based ◽

Bonferroni Adjustment

Abstract Background Childhood obesity is a serious public health concern worldwide. Community-based obesity prevention interventions offer promise due to their focus on the broader social, cultural and environmental contexts rather than individual behaviour change and their potential for sustainability and scalability. This paper aims to determine the effectiveness of a South Australian community-based, multi-setting, multi-strategy intervention, OPAL (Obesity Prevention and Lifestyle), in increasing healthy weight prevalence in 9 to 11-year-olds. Methods A quasi-experimental repeated cross-sectional design was employed. This paper reports on the anthropometric, health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and behaviour outcomes of primary school children (9–11 years) after 2–3 years of intervention delivery. Consenting children from primary schools (20 intervention communities, INT; 20 matched comparison communities, COMP) completed self-report questionnaires on diet, activity and screen time behaviours. HRQoL was measured using the Child Health Utility 9D. Body Mass Index (BMI) z-score and weight status were determined from children’s measured height and weight. A multilevel mixed-effects model, accounting for clustering in schools, was implemented to determine intervention effect. Sequential Bonferroni adjustment was used to allow for multiple comparisons of the secondary outcomes. Results At baseline and final, respectively, 2611 and 1873 children completed questionnaires and 2353 and 1760 had anthropometric measures taken. The prevalence of children with healthy weight did not significantly change over time in INT (OR 1.11, 95%CI 0.92–1.35, p = 0.27) or COMP (OR 0.85, 95%CI 0.68–1.06, p = 0.14). Although changes in the likelihood of obesity, BMI z-score and HRQoL favoured the INT group, the differences were not significant after Bonferroni adjustment. There were also no significant differences between groups at final for behavioural outcomes. Conclusions OPAL did not have a significant impact on the proportion of 9 to 11-year-olds in the healthy weight range, nor children’s BMI z-score, HRQoL and behaviours. Long-term, flexible community-based program evaluation approaches are required . Trial registration ACTRN12616000477426 (12th April 2016, retrospectively registered).

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