Barriers, facilitators and capacities for childhood obesity prevention in 12 European Union Member States: results of a policy-maker survey

Background: Calls are increasing internationally for the development ofpolicies to combat childhood obesity. From a social science perspective, thedevelopment and implementation of such policies are poorly understood. In particular, international data on the perceptions of policy-makers andstakeholders acting in the field of childhood obesity prevention are verylimited.

Methods: An online survey of 187 policy-makers and stakeholders from different policy sectors was conducted in 12 European Union (EU) MemberStates. The survey assessed respondents’ perception of existing facilitatorsand barriers for the prevention of childhood obesity. The theoretical Analysisof Determinants of Policy Impact (ADEPT) model was also used to mapexisting capacities for childhood obesity prevention across the dimensions of goals, obligations, resources and opportunities. The data were gatheredas part of the Joint Action on Nutrition and Physical Activity (JANPA), whichreceived funding from the EU Health Programme 2014–2020.

Results: Policy-makers across different policy sectors, such as health, education, nutrition and sports, perceived physical activity-friendly environments and parental support as important facilitators for childhoodobesity prevention. The commercial marketing of foods and a lack of funding were seen as the most important barriers. Regarding capacities, policy- makers reported that their organizations felt obliged to act on the issueand saw opportunities to increase their efforts in the future. Nevertheless, the vast majority of respondents reported that their organizations did havenot enough staff and financial resources to carry out childhood obesityprevention activities.

Conclusions: The survey results highlight the difficulties of developing and implementing policies for the prevention of childhood obesity. Policy-makers and stakeholders reported that organizations were willing to act but lackedthe resources to do so. The results have implications for the development of sectoral and intersectoral policies on this issue.