Consequently, the most crucial interventions focused on (1) controlling the types of foods sold in schools; (2) mandatory, child-appropriate warning labels for unhealthy food items; and (3) educating school personnel via workshops and dialogues to enhance the school's nutritional setting.
This study, pioneering the use of the Behaviour Change Wheel and stakeholder engagement, identifies intervention priorities for enhancing food environments in South African schools. Prioritization of interventions supported by evidence, feasible to implement, and critical to addressing the issue, underpinned by behavior change theories, is crucial to effectively enhance policymaking and resource allocation for South Africa's childhood obesity problem.
This research into global health issues was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), grant number 16/137/34, with assistance from UK Aid provided by the UK Government. AE, PK, TR-P, SG, and KJH are recipients of support from the SAMRC/Wits Centre for Health Economics and Decision Science-PRICELESS SA, grant number 23108.
The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), grant number 16/137/34, secured UK Aid funding from the UK Government to undertake this research project investigating global health. The SAMRC/Wits Centre for Health Economics and Decision Science-PRICELESS SA (grant number 23108) supports AE, PK, TR-P, SG, and KJH.

Rapidly increasing rates of childhood and adolescent overweight and obesity are particularly prevalent in middle-income countries. BB-2516 mouse Effective policies have struggled to gain traction in economies categorized as low-income and middle-income. In Mexico, Peru, and China, investment cases were created to assess the economic and health returns on initiatives addressing childhood and adolescent overweight and obesity.
The societal perspective was integrated into the investment case model to forecast the health and economic repercussions of childhood and adolescent overweight and obesity within a cohort spanning ages 0 to 19, commencing in 2025. The consequences encompass healthcare expenses, years of life lost, reduced compensation, and reduced productivity levels. A scenario representing the current state of affairs, based on unit cost data from the literature, was developed for the model cohort's average lifespan (Mexico 2025-2090, China and Peru 2025-2092). This was subsequently compared to an intervention scenario to ascertain cost savings and return on investment (ROI). After stakeholder discussions, country-specific priorities dictated the choice of effective interventions from the literature. Nutritional counseling, school-based policies, breastfeeding promotion, social marketing, and fiscal policies are among the priority interventions.
The comprehensive economic and health impacts of child and adolescent obesity and overweight in these three nations varied significantly, with estimated lifetime costs ranging from US$18 trillion in Mexico, to US$211 billion in Peru and US$33 trillion in China. Strategic interventions focused on national priorities could minimize lifetime costs, estimated at $124 billion for Mexico, $14 billion for Peru, and $2 trillion for China. A unique intervention package tailored to each nation's needs yielded a projected lifetime return on investment (ROI) of $515 for every dollar invested in Mexico, $164 for every dollar in Peru, and $75 for every dollar invested in China. Positive returns on investment (ROI) were consistently observed in fiscal policies implemented across Mexico, China, and Peru, proving highly cost-effective over 30, 50, and lifetime time horizons, extending up to 2090 in Mexico and 2092 in both China and Peru. In every nation and throughout a lifetime, school interventions resulted in a positive ROI, but the return was substantially less than the ROI achieved from other evaluated interventions.
The profound and lasting effects of overweight and obesity on the health and economic outcomes of children and adolescents across the three middle-income countries will impede national efforts toward achieving the sustainable development goals. Investing in cost-effective interventions, which are nationally relevant, could mitigate the overall lifetime cost burden.
A grant from Novo Nordisk, partially supporting UNICEF, was provided.
The grant from Novo Nordisk, partly supporting UNICEF, demonstrated their commitment.

A crucial factor in preventing childhood obesity, according to the WHO, is a precisely balanced approach to movement behaviors throughout a child's 24-hour day, including physical activity, sedentary behavior, and sleep, particularly for those under five. Solid evidence confirms the positive impact of healthy growth and development, but our understanding of young children's lived experiences and their perceptions remains remarkably limited, particularly regarding how contextual influences on movement differ across the globe.
Interviewing children aged 3-5 years, from communities and preschools in Australia, Chile, China, India, Morocco, and South Africa, was undertaken, acknowledging their expertise in matters affecting their lives. In the discussions, a socioecological framework was applied to understand the many interwoven and intricate factors that affect young children's movement behaviors. Prompt adaptations were implemented to guarantee relevance across the varied study locations. Ethics approval and guardian consent were obtained; the Framework Method served as the analytical framework.
A diverse group of 156 children, comprising 101 (65%) from urban backgrounds and 55 (45%) from rural areas, 73 (47%) female and 83 (53%) male, recounted their experiences, perceptions, and preferences concerning movement behaviors, along with the obstacles and facilitators associated with outdoor play. Play dominated the expression of physical activity, sedentary behavior, and screen time, to a slightly lesser extent. The combination of weather fluctuations, air quality considerations, and safety issues hindered outdoor play. There was a wide range of sleep rituals, significantly affected by whether sleeping arrangements involved sharing a room or bed. A significant challenge arose from the widespread use of screens, which made achieving the recommended limits difficult. BB-2516 mouse Differences in movement behaviors, consistent with the influence of daily routines, degree of autonomy, and social interactions, were prominent across study sites.
Movement behavior guidelines, though universal in scope, necessitate context-sensitive strategies for their effective socialization and promotion across various social spheres. BB-2516 mouse How young children's social and physical surroundings are shaped and affected can either support or obstruct healthy movement practices, which could possibly influence childhood obesity rates.
Public health research leadership is promoted through the Beijing High-Level Talents Cultivation Project, and this is complemented by the Beijing Medical Research Institute (a public service development and reform pilot project), the British Academy for the Humanities and Social Sciences, the KEM Hospital Research Centre, the combined efforts of the Ministry of Education and Universidad de La Frontera in their innovation program for higher education, and the National Health and Medical Research Council's Investigator Grant Leadership Fellow, Level 2.
The Beijing High Level Talents Cultivation Project for Public Health Academic Leaders, the Beijing Medical Research Institute (Public service development and reform pilot project), the British Academy for the Humanities and Social Sciences, the KEM Hospital Research Centre, the Ministry of Education and Universidad de La Frontera (Innovation in Higher Education Program), and the National Health and Medical Research Council (Investigator Grant Leadership Fellow, Level 2) are all significant initiatives.

Children experiencing obesity and overweight are disproportionately concentrated, 70% of them, in low- and middle-income nations. A variety of interventions have been undertaken to curb the pervasiveness of childhood obesity and prevent future occurrences. In summary, a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis was performed to determine the effectiveness of these interventions in decreasing and preventing childhood obesity.
Our search strategy encompassed MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, and PsycINFO, targeting randomized controlled trials and quantitative non-randomized studies published between January 1, 2010, and November 1, 2022. Our study incorporated interventional research aimed at obesity prevention and control in low- and middle-income nations, specifically for children aged 12 years and younger. With Cochrane's risk-of-bias tools, a quality appraisal of the data was performed. Three-level random-effects meta-analyses were applied to analyze the diversity observed in the constituent studies. Studies flagged for significant risk of bias were excluded from the primary analytic framework. Employing the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation framework, we evaluated the reliability of the evidence.
The search yielded 12,104 studies, eight of which, encompassing 5,734 children, were incorporated. Six studies on obesity prevention predominantly targeted behavioral modifications, employing counseling and dietary interventions. The studies observed a statistically significant reduction in body mass index, as indicated by a standardized mean difference of 2.04 (95% confidence interval 1.01-3.08; p<0.0001). However, in a contrasting approach, just two studies examined interventions aimed at controlling childhood obesity; the overall consequence of these interventions demonstrated no significant effect (p=0.38). A substantial overall effect was observed from the integration of prevention and control studies; the estimated impact differed substantially across individual studies, ranging from 0.23 to 3.10, revealing significant statistical heterogeneity.
>75%).
Preventive strategies, including lifestyle changes and dietary adjustments, demonstrate greater success in the reduction and prevention of childhood obesity compared to control interventions.
None.
None.

The cumulative effect of genetic predispositions and early-life exposures, from the period of conception through early childhood, has been observed to significantly influence an individual's subsequent health status.