Stakeholder analysis of childhood obesity prevention policies in Iran

Abstract Background Childhood obesity is one of the most serious health challenges and risk factors for various diseases. International health organizations, such as the World Health Organization (WHO), recommend more stakeholder engagement to discuss this health problem. Therefore, this study aims to identify and analyze the stakeholders of childhood obesity prevention (COP) policy making process in Iran. Methods In this study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 24 Iranian stakeholders in the field of COP from February 2019 to May 2020. PolicyMaker V.4 and MAXQDA V.10 software were used for the analysis of stakeholders. Results Out of 24 interviewed stakeholders, 17 were active and seven were inactive. The most powerful and supportive stakeholders were the Ministry of Health and Medical Education (MoHME) and the national and regional Offices of Community Nutrition Improvement. Although stakeholders like the Ministry of Sports and Youth, the municipalities, the Secretariat of the Health and Food Safety, the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), and Student Organization were among powerful bodies, they showed the least support for COP policies. The remaining stakeholders showed medium or low support and power in the policy making process. Conclusions Disconnect between stakeholders, less attention to prevention strategies, and high advertising of unhealthy foods were among the main challenges facing the COP policies in Iran and worldwide. Insufficient financial resources, little attention to the young people under 18, non-aligned policies of the Student Organization and the IRIB, and insufficient support of COP policies were among the key challenges to be handled.

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‘Choice’: what we mean by it, and what that means for preventing childhood obesity

Public Health Nutrition ◽

10.1017/s1368980012000596 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 16 (1) ◽

pp. 123-129 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Christine M Porter

Keyword(s):

Childhood Obesity ◽

Obesity Prevention ◽

Small Subset ◽

Word Choice ◽

Individual Choice ◽

Prevention Measures ◽

Prevention Policy ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Childhood Obesity Prevention ◽

The Usa

AbstractObjective(i) To map how US adults value ‘choice’ in the context of obesity policy and (ii) to discuss implications for obesity prevention in children.DesignSemi-structured interviews (n 105) were conducted between 2006 and 2009 about causes of and solutions to childhood obesity. Quotes captured in field notes from community meetings (n 6) on childhood obesity prevention were also analysed. Each use of the word ‘choice’ and its variants was identified in these texts. Content and discourse were analysed to identify the implied values and meaning in each use.SettingNorth-eastern USA.SubjectsOne hundred and five adults, some involved in childhood obesity prevention initiatives.ResultsThree distinct frames of ‘choice’ emerged: (i) having choices (choice as freedom), (ii) making choices (choice as responsibility) and (iii) influencing choices (contextual constraints and impacts on choice). Many speakers used more than one frame over the course of an interview. Most people using the third frame seemed to share the values behind the first two frames, but focused on conditions required to enable people to be accountable for their choices and to make truly free choices. A small subset thought outside the frame of individual choice, valuing, as one person put it, a ‘social contract’.ConclusionsPublic debate in the USA about responsibility for and solutions to rising obesity rates often hinges on notions of ‘choice’. These frames, and the values underlying them, are not mutually exclusive. Respecting the values behind each ‘choice’ frame when crafting obesity prevention policy and employing all three in public communications about such policy may facilitate greater consensus on prevention measures.

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