Commentary: Pediatric obesity: systems science strategies for prevention

Abstract

Objectives: Pediatric obesity is a major public health problem that undermines the physical and mental health of children and increases their risk for adult obesity and other chronic illnesses. Although health care providers, including pediatric psychologists, have implemented prevention programs, effects have been minimal, with no solid evidence of sustainable programs.

Methods: A systems science framework that incorporates the multiple interacting factors that influence pediatric obesity may be useful in guiding prevention.

Results: The National Prevention Strategy provides recommendations that can be incorporated into systems science designs, including (1) Healthy and Safe Environments, (2) Clinical and Community Preventive Services, (3) Empowering People, and (4) Elimination of Health Disparities. In addition, our recommendation is that future obesity prevention programs target early in life (pre-pregnancy through toddlerhood) and use multilevel multidisciplinary designs.

Conclusions: The benefits of preventing pediatric obesity extend from the health and well-being of individual children to the economic security of the nation.

Figure 1.

A systems science framework of pediatric obesity prevention, including feedback mechanisms involving families, the physical and social environment, the health care system, and local, state, and national policies (modified from Nader et al., 2012).