Obesity prevention – A community approach
Obesity is caused largely due to poor lifestyle choices like low physical activity and high caloric intake. The EU-funded project SPOTLIGHT (Sustainable prevention of obesity through integrated strategies) has developed integrated, community-based health promotion strategies to prevent obesity. To increase the knowledge base on obesity-causing factors and effective health promotion strategies, SPOTLIGHT carried out five comprehensive literature reviews. A quality assessment tool was developed to evaluate observational and experimental studies. Factors included self-regulatory individual behaviour, and physical, environmental and social determinants of obesity. Self-motivation, self-efficacy and self-regulatory skills were good indicators of effective long-term weight control and increased physical activity. A strong correlation was found between urban sprawl and land-use mix with obesity in North America. Elsewhere, the review was inconclusive as methods used were widely different and the results were unreliable due to bias. A positive trend was found, however, when it came to social networks enabling reduction in obesity. Environmental characteristics affecting physical activity and diet choices were assessed using two free geospatial services – Google Earth and Google Street View. Virtual and field audits showed good correlation and SPOTLIGHT prepared the cross-EU neighbourhood surveys and audits. Researchers also developed an interactive web-atlas of multi-level interventions that were in progress. Reach, efficacy, adoption, implementation and maintenance of multi-level obesity prevention interventions were also reviewed. Study findings suggest that multi-level interventions are more sustainable and effective than single-level interventions. For maximum positive results, the intervention should incorporate policymakers, sponsors and participants in the planning process. A website to disseminate the intervention strategy could also generate more participation and better outcomes with regard to obesity prevention. Results have been translated into 20 scientific publications in peer-reviewed journals. SPOTLIGHT will provide better insight into multi-level community-based interventions that could be effective in preventing or reducing obesity through behaviour modification. These evidence-based methods could then be implemented across Europe to mitigate the effects of obesity, improve quality of life and reduce the health care burden arising from obesity.
Keywords
Obesity, community approach, SPOTLIGHT, physical activity, geospatial service, multi-level interventions
