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WHO Collaborating Centre for Obesity Prevention

• Overview
• Location
  • Detailed Map
• Monitoring
• Staff
• Acknowledgements
• SSOP Contacts
•  
• Current Projects
• Current Projects - Overview
• Colac - 'Be Active, Eat Well'
• Geelong - 'Romp & Chomp'
• East Geelong - 'It's Your Move!'
•  
• Deakin University - Department of Human Services Partnership
• EJCN Supplementary Information
  • Core/Non-Core Foods (PDF 60KB) (60 kb)
  • Core/Non-Core Beverages (PDF 47KB) (46 kb)

The Sentinel Site for Obesity Prevention

The Sentinel Site for Obesity Prevention grew out of the urgent need to build the evidence on effective strategies for reducing the growing epidemic of obesity.

Overweight and obesity affected 20% of Australian boys and 21% of Australian girls in 1995 compared to 11% and 12% in 1985 and preliminary data collected in March 2003, indicate that 27.5% of children aged 4 – 12 years are overweight or obese, similar to other regional surveys.  In the face of this escalating epidemic, we know very little about which programs work to prevent obesity. Evaluating the effectiveness and sustainability of multi-strategy, multi-setting interventions is paramount.

Aim

The aim of the Sentinel Site for Obesity Prevention is to build the programs, skills and evidence necessary to prevent obesity among children and adolescents.  The two main questions being investigated are:

1. What is the impact of multi-strategy, multi-setting obesity prevention programs on obesity prevention?
2. What is the impact of individual components of a multi-strategy, multi-setting program?

Features and Innovations

• Focusing resources into a defined geographical area: By focusing funding, training programs, research expertise and other resources into a defined geographical region, programs can be developed and the evidence gathered about effectiveness and sustainability before they are rolled out into other regions.
• Community capacity building: Building the knowledge and skills of community workers, teachers and health professionals in obesity prevention and physical activity and nutrition promotion encourages ownership of the programs and sustainability.
• Multi-strategy, multi-setting intervention programs: A myriad of individual and environmental causes are contributing to the epidemic and a variety of innovative strategies are needed to address these underlying causes in a number of settings.
• Monitoring: Physical activity and nutrition indicators are needed to monitor the obesity epidemic. Data from a monitoring program will also act as a comparison group and allow measurement of the impact of the intervention programs.
• Evaluation: Establishing a partnership with Deakin University gives communities access to expert research skills so that the intervention programs are well supported and evaluated. This partnership also ensures that the findings are disseminated.

Significance of the Sentinel Site for Obesity Prevention Project

This Sentinel Site project will be important not only for the Barwon-South Western region of Victoria but will be a leading program of its type in Australia and internationally.  The evidence that will come from the project will help guide similar community-based programs and hopefully stimulate a more vigorous response to the obesity epidemic.

The innovation of linking regional monitoring programs with local demonstration communities could be particularly important. Ideally a group of similar sites would be developed and linked into a collaborative network that develops and shares instruments, designs, methodologies, and results. Internationally, this project is also very important, with the World Health Organisation and the International Obesity Task Force both advocating this approach to obesity prevention.