Expert and stakeholder consensus on priorities for obesity prevention research in early care and education settings

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Obesity Prevention
• Childhood Development and Health
• Public Health Interventions

Background:

• Early childhood is critical for developing weight-related behaviors, yet obesity prevention research in this age group is limited.
• Early care and education settings offer a viable pathway for interventions, but current evidence is insufficient for policy or practice.
• Lack of research hinders efforts to promote healthy eating, physical activity, and healthy weight in young children.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and prioritize future research needs for childhood obesity prevention in early care and education settings.
• To bring together experts to discuss challenges and opportunities in promoting healthy weight in children aged 2-5 years.
• To establish consensus on critical research areas for effective obesity prevention strategies.

Main Methods:

• A meeting of researchers and leaders in early care and education was convened in September 2011.
• Experts presented on key issues including measurement of diet, physical activity, policy, environment, interventions, and capacity building.
• An online voting exercise was conducted among attendees to select top research priorities from identified issues.

Main Results:

• Sixty-four research issues were initially identified, with voting narrowing the list to 24.
• Top-rated research priorities included assessing children's meal and snack quality.
• Other high-priority areas were financial incentives, healthcare provider involvement, screen time's role, and multilevel interventions.

Conclusions:

• Research is crucial to address the specific challenges within early care and education settings for obesity prevention.
• Expert and stakeholder consensus identified significant and innovative research priorities.
• Future obesity prevention research should focus on these identified innovative areas.