NIPH to lead European adolescent obesity project

"The project will help to reduce overweight and obesity among young people in Europe," says project leader Professor Knut-Inge Klepp at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health.

The European Commission has allocated 90 million Norwegian kroner from its research budget to the CO-CREATE project, which will continue until 2023. The project is a collaboration between 14 partners from six European countries plus South Africa, Australia and the USA. The partners come from different sectors of society, and different disciplines.

Increasing child obesity in Europe

In Europe, the proportion of children with obesity is increasing. By 2025, overweight and obesity are expected to affect one in five European children, approximately 16 million European children.

In Norway, the proportion of children who are obese or overweight has stabilised in recent years. Overall, between 15 and 20 per cent of Norwegian children are obese or overweight, equivalent to every sixth child.

Adolescents involved in project

Adolescents will participate in several parts of the project by helping to create, inform and disseminate policies among their peers.  Press is a Norwegian youth organisation that is taking part in the project.

"The project has a strong focus on involving adolescents throughout the project. It is exciting, but it will certainly challenge us as researchers. Instead of trying out single interventions, we will develop methods to evaluate the sum of policy and have a system perspective instead of an individual perspective," says Knut-Inge Klepp.

The CO-CREATE consortium includes these organisations: