Diana C Parra1, Susan Vorkoper2, Harold W Kohl3, Benjamin Caballero4, Carolina Batis5, Alejandra Jauregui6, Jessica Mason7, Michael Pratt8. 1. Program in Physical Therapy, School of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA. 2. Fogarty International Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA. 3. University of Texas Health Science Center - Houston and University of Texas at Austin, TX, USA. 4. Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA. 5. National Council for Science and Technology - Center for Nutrition and Health Research, National Institute of Public Health, Cuernavaca, Mexico. 6. National Institute of Public Health, Cuernavaca, Mexico. 7. University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, School of Public Health Austin Regional Campus, Austin, TX, USA. 8. Institute for Public Health, Department of Family Medicine and Public Health, University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, San Diego, CA, USA.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The rise of childhood obesity in Latin America calls for research capacity to understand, monitor and implement strategies, policies and programmes to address it. OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to assess current research capacity in Latin America related to childhood obesity, nutrition and physical activity. METHODS: We conducted a search of peer-reviewed articles on childhood obesity in Latin America with at least one Latin American author from 2010 to May 2015. We coded 484 published articles for author affiliation, study subjects' nationality, research topic and study design and extracted a series of networks per research topic, study design and collaborating country for each of the countries. RESULTS: Obesity is the most frequently explored topic. Nutrition and obesity are somewhat better developed compared with physical activity and sedentary behaviour. There are numerous observational and cross-sectional studies, indicating either a lack of capacity required for more complex research or the extent of the problem and associated factors is still unknown. The low number of intervention studies and the near absence of policy articles suggest a void in research capacity. CONCLUSION: For childhood obesity, there is a clear need to build research capacity that documents the current state of the problem and design evidence-based prevention and intervention efforts.
BACKGROUND: The rise of childhood obesity in Latin America calls for research capacity to understand, monitor and implement strategies, policies and programmes to address it. OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to assess current research capacity in Latin America related to childhood obesity, nutrition and physical activity. METHODS: We conducted a search of peer-reviewed articles on childhood obesity in Latin America with at least one Latin American author from 2010 to May 2015. We coded 484 published articles for author affiliation, study subjects' nationality, research topic and study design and extracted a series of networks per research topic, study design and collaborating country for each of the countries. RESULTS:Obesity is the most frequently explored topic. Nutrition and obesity are somewhat better developed compared with physical activity and sedentary behaviour. There are numerous observational and cross-sectional studies, indicating either a lack of capacity required for more complex research or the extent of the problem and associated factors is still unknown. The low number of intervention studies and the near absence of policy articles suggest a void in research capacity. CONCLUSION: For childhood obesity, there is a clear need to build research capacity that documents the current state of the problem and design evidence-based prevention and intervention efforts.
Authors: Bruno Bizzozero-Peroni; Sofía Fernández-Giménez; Enrique Pintos-Toledo; César Augusto Corvos; Valentina Díaz-Goñi; Javier Brazo-Sayavera Journal: Front Public Health Date: 2022-09-07