title: Motivating systems-oriented research on environmental and policy changes for obesity prevention.
abstract: Research on the types of interventions needed for population-level prevention of childhood obesity in complex societal systems can benefit from greater use of systems-science concepts and tools.
  
  
  
  We report outcomes of a funding programme promoting incorporation of systems-science approaches into studies of imminent policy or environmental changes potentially impacting childhood obesity.
  
  
  
  Seven funding cycles over 3 years yielded 172 initial submissions from 29 US states and 25 other countries were analyzed.
  
  
  
  Submissions focused primarily on aspects of school or child-care settings, parks and recreational settings, or access to healthy food; about half reflected attention to systems perspectives.
  
  
  
  Analysis of initial submissions as well as the 15 funded projects showed some success in motivating use of systems concepts and tools but suggested the need for a more focused effort to educate and prepare the childhood obesity prevention research community for this potentially crucial type of research.
authors.affiliation: Johns Hopkins Weight Management Center, Department of Health, Behavior & Society, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Global Obesity Prevention Center at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: L J
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-0262-1030
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Cheskin
authors.affiliation: Global Obesity Prevention Center.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Frutchey
authors.affiliation: Global Obesity Prevention Center.
authors.forename: A Y
authors.initials: AY
authors.lastname: McDermott
authors.affiliation: Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Esposito
authors.affiliation: Global Obesity Prevention Center, Baltimore, MD, USA, Johns Hopkins Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: B Y
authors.initials: BY
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kumanyika
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D005376:Financial Management / Q000379:methods*; D006291:Health Policy; D006801:Humans; D009042:Motivation; D063766:Pediatric Obesity / Q000517:prevention & control*; D012106:Research / Q000191:economics
keywords: Childhood obesity; funding mechanisms; prevention; systems science