Obesity strategic network: whole systems approach

通过社交媒体、移动的电话地理标记、商店会员卡和购买交易数据，越来越多的关于个人行为的“数据”变得可用。有很多机会可以利用这些数据造福社会。一个关键的例子是更好地了解我们生活的环境如何影响我们的行为，导致超重和肥胖等健康问题。这是首席医疗官和其他政策制定者已经开始认识到的重要性。更好地理解这些复杂的相互作用为设计干预措施以应对这一重大的“邪恶”挑战提供了空间。肥胖仍然是英国的一个问题，最新数据显示，67%的男性和57%的女性被归类为超重或肥胖。超重和肥胖是严重的健康问题，也是心血管疾病、2型糖尿病、高血压、骨关节炎和某些癌症等其他非传染性疾病的风险因素。在许多地方，我们生活的环境很容易导致体重增加。例如，快餐店通常比超市更靠近我们的家和工作场所，有更健康的食物选择，开车上班通常比步行更安全或更方便。这些因素促使人们吃不健康的食物，久坐不动，而不是进行身体活动，从而导致体重增加，随后超重和肥胖。为了促进健康饮食和更多的身体活动;专业人士需要共同努力，以更好地了解如何修改这些环境的影响，以便更容易吃得好，更活跃。这些专业人士包括对饮食和体育活动感兴趣的研究人员，以及参与促进积极旅行，减少犯罪和改善零售规划的研究人员。真实的变化还需要地方政府、规划组织、零售商、慈善机构和卫生从业人员的参与。数据分析专家需要利用大量可用的信息，并以有意义的方式使用这些信息。该网络旨在做到这一点-将许多不同类型的研究人员与政策制定者，零售和第三部门组织聚集在一起，共同合作，以规划如何最好地利用现有的大量数据为研究提供信息，像这样的网络是一个很好的例子，说明整体远远大于其部分的总和，并且在一起有很大的潜力可以发挥作用。

Increasing volumes of 'data' about individual behaviours are becoming available through social media, mobile phone geotagging, store loyalty cards and purchasing transaction data. There are many opportunities to use these data to benefit society. One key example is to better understand how the environment in which we live influences our behaviours leading to health concerns such as overweight and obesity. This is something which the Chief Medical Officer and other policy makers have begun to recognise as important. A better understanding of these complex interactions offers scope for designing interventions to addressing this significant 'wicked' challenge.Obesity continues to be a problem in the UK with the most recent figures reporting 67% of men and 57% of women classed as overweight or obese. Overweight and obesity are serious health concerns and are risk factors for other non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, osteoarthritis and certain cancers. In many places the environment in which we lives makes it easy to gain weight. For example, fast food outlets are regularly closer to our homes and workplaces than supermarkets with healthier food choices and it is often safer or more convenient to drive to work rather than walk. These factors encourage individuals to eat unhealthy foods and be sedentary rather than physically active, contributing to weight gain and subsequent overweight and obesity. This setting has been termed an 'obesogenic environment'.In order to promote healthier eating and more physical activity; groups of professionals need to work together to better understand how to modify these environmental influences so that it is easier to eat a good diet and be more active. These groups of professionals include researchers with an interest in diet and physical activity as well as involved with promoting active travel, reducing crime and improving retail planning. Real changes also need the involvement of local government, planning organisations, retailers, charities and health practitioners. Experts in data analytics are required to harness the volumes of information available and use these in a meaningful way.This network aims to do just that - bring together many different types of researchers with policy makers, retail and third sector organisations to work together collaboratively in order to plan how to make best use of the large volumes of data now available to inform research, policy and practice in the prevention of obesity.A network like this is a prime example of how the whole is far greater than the sum of its parts and together there is great potential to make a difference.