title: Contributors to childhood obesity in Iran: the views of parents and school staff.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the contextual influences on childhood obesity in Tehran, Iran to inform future development of an obesity prevention intervention for Iranian primary school children.
  
  
  METHODS
  Qualitative study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Focus groups and interviews with parents and school staff were convened to explore their perceptions of the causes of childhood obesity. Eleven focus groups and three interviews were held with parents and school staff (88 participants in total) from three different socio-economic areas in Iran's capital city, Tehran. All the discussions were transcribed verbatim in Persian. An iterative thematic approach was used for data analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall, the causes of childhood obesity were perceived to relate to macro-level policy influences, the school environment, sociocultural factors, and family and individual behavioural factors, acting in combination. A key emergent theme was the pervasive influence of Government policies on children's food intake and physical activity. Another key theme was the political and sociocultural context that does not support girls and women in Iran in having active lifestyles.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings suggest that parents and school staff have sophisticated views on the possible causes of childhood overweight and obesity which encompassed behavioural, structural and social causes. A prominent emerging theme was the need for state level intervention and support for a healthy environment. Any local initiatives in Iran are unlikely to be successful without such support.
  Childhood obesity is growing in Iran and it is seen as one of the features of the nutrition transition in developing countries. Findings from cross-sectional studies suggest a range of lifestyle factors contribute to obesity in the Iranian population.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This qualitative study explores the socioenvironmental changes contributing to childhood obesity in primary school-aged children in Iran. Findings have provided important contextual data on the perceived contributors to childhood obesity in Iran, such as macro-level policy influences on accessibility to healthy food and physical activity, competing priorities at school level, sociocultural influences on diet and physical activity and limited knowledge and skills of parents. This has laid the foundation for the development of appropriate childhood obesity prevention interventions.
authors: National Nutrition and Food Technology Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Iran.
authors: B
authors: B
authors: Mohammadpour-Ahranjani
authors: School of Health and Population Sciences, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom. Electronic address: m.j.pallan@bham.ac.uk.
authors: M J
authors: MJ
authors: Pallan
authors: National Nutrition and Food Technology Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Iran.
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Rashidi
authors: School of Health and Population Sciences, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom.
authors: P
authors: P
authors: Adab
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D005178:Faculty; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D063766:Pediatric Obesity / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology; D011640:Public Policy; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012574:Schools; D012931:Social Environment
keywords: Child; Iran; Obesity