The obesity pandemic: implementing the evidence for children in Scottish families

Increasing obesity levels arise from multiple causes, which require understanding as a whole system. Co-ordinated action from heterogeneous groups with differing interests and perspectives is required to tackle rising obesity. To be effective, this must be targeted at identifying, agreeing and modifying the critical drivers.

To illustrate an application of an environmental health systems modelling approach (as adapted in Scotland) to a particularly important Scottish topic: the rising obesity levels in Scottish children.

The model was able to capture an integration of the closely coupled causal chains around excessive energy intake and physical inactivity in children in their domestic environment. The model was able to incorporate action at different strategic levels.

Applying the Drivers, Pressures, State, Exposure, Effects, Actions (DPSEEA) model to the public health problem of child obesity allowed a clear view of a number of multiple causal chains involved in a particular environment. That clarity may be a necessary condition for co-ordinated action to create change.