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Review
. 2024 Jul 9;21(7):893.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph21070893.

Exploring the Nexus between Food Systems and the Global Syndemic among Children under Five Years of Age through the Complex Systems Approach

Aline Martins de Carvalho  1 , Leandro Martin Totaro Garcia  2 , Bárbara Hatzlhoffer Lourenço  1 , Eliseu Verly Junior  3 , Antônio Augusto Ferreira Carioca  4 , Michelle Cristine Medeiros Jacob  5 , Sávio Marcelino Gomes  6 , Flávia Mori Sarti  7
Affiliations
Review

Exploring the Nexus between Food Systems and the Global Syndemic among Children under Five Years of Age through the Complex Systems Approach

Aline Martins de Carvalho et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

The intricate relationship between food systems and health outcomes, known as the food-nutrition-health nexus, intersects with environmental concerns. However, there's still a literature gap in evaluating food systems alongside the global syndemic using the complex systems theory, especially concerning vulnerable populations like children. This research aimed to design a system dynamics model to advance a theoretical understanding of the connections between food systems and the global syndemic, particularly focusing on their impacts on children under five years of age. The framework was developed through a literature review and authors' insights into the relationships between the food, health, and environmental components of the global syndemic among children. The conceptual model presented 17 factors, with 26 connections and 6 feedback loops, categorized into the following 5 groups: environmental, economic, school-related, family-related, and child-related. It delineated and elucidated mechanisms among the components of the global syndemic encompassing being overweight, suffering from undernutrition, and climate change. The findings unveiled potential interactions within food systems and health outcomes. Furthermore, the model integrated elements of the socio-ecological model by incorporating an external layer representing the environment and its natural resources. Consequently, the development of public policies and interventions should encompass environmental considerations to effectively tackle the complex challenges posed by the global syndemic.

Keywords: children; climate change; food system; global syndemic; malnutrition; overweight.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The approach to the framework development.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Conceptual model of the environment-food-health nexus among children under five years of age using the complex systems approach: (B) the balancing feedback loop, (R) the reinforcing feedback loop, (+) positive relationship between the factors, (−) negative relationship between the factors.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Dimensions of the conceptual model of the environment-food-health nexus among children.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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