Details

Purpose

Urgent solutions are needed to transform food and physical activity systems in the interests of human and planetary health. In this symposium, we will explore the significant research challenges of understanding and intervening in systems.

Rationale

Diets and activity patterns worldwide are increasingly suboptimal with regard to population health and planetary sustainability. The problem of suboptimal diet is driven by failures of the food system, and insufficient activity driven by failures of systems that enable active lifestyles. Such system failures drive widespread obesogenic environments. Non-communicable diseases and climate change are key consequences and represent significant external costs to society. System failures require systemic solutions. Relatively little is known about changing the diets and activity of whole populations by transforming systems. Mapping systems (e.g. using causal loop diagrams (CLDs) and system dynamics models (SDMs)) enables researchers and stakeholders to identify places in systems (i.e. leverage points) where interventions might have the greatest impact. But applying such methods in real-world contexts is challenging.

Objectives

1.       To explore the benefits of systems thinking for transformational research on diet, activity, health and sustainability

2.       To share recent examples of research on approaches to studying food and activity systems

3.       To share and critically appraise methods for engaging system actors, identifying leverage points and prioritising system interventions, and for studying the wider impacts of system change.

Summary

In this symposium, we will explore the challenges and outcomes of research programmes in the Netherlands and UK that explore how systems impact on diet and activity, and to identify transformative interventions in these systems to benefit health and sustainability. The LIKE programme in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, aims to generate solutions to childhood overweight and obesity in adolescents using a systems dynamics and participatory approach in collaboration with the Amsterdam Healthy Weight Programme. The Mandala programme aims to catalyse urban food system transformation, focusing on the City of Birmingham, UK, as a scalable case study, partnering with citizens and food system stakeholders to create a reproducible, collaborative change process, and generating evidence to support food system interventions leading to substantial health, environmental, economic and societal impacts.

Format

4.       Introduction by chair (9 min) Prof Martin White

5.       Presentation 1 (12 min) Dr Alexia Sawyer

6.       Presentation 2 (12 min) Dr Angie Luna Pinzon

7.       Presentation 3 (12 mins) Dr Wilma Waterlander

8.       Discussant (10 min) Prof Harry Rutter

9.       Open discussion (20 mins)

Speaker