The ambition of the Care for Obesity project is to provide optimal support and care for all children with (a high risk of) obesity.
In the Netherlands, approximately 450 thousand children are overweight, of which about 75 thousand children have obesity or severe obesity. These numbers have significantly increased over the past decades, especially among children from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, leading to a rise in health disparities.
Excessive weight, particularly obesity, can result in severe physical and psychosocial problems. Therefore, appropriate support and care should be available for children with overweight or obesity. Significant progress has been made in the Netherlands in recent years. However, there is still work to be done. That's why since 2013, we have been working on the Care for Obesity (C4O) project at the VU University to enhance knowledge regarding the support and care for children with (a high risk of) obesity.
Our aim is to foster intensive collaboration between science, policy, and practice, involving children and parents as well. By doing so, we contribute to better aligning support and care with the needs of the children, families, and their caregivers. Our research focuses on the following four themes:
- Approach for Children towards Healthier Weight
- Health-related Quality of Life
- Understanding the issues affecting the child and family
- Talking about weight with children and parents
Care for Obesity has been funded by the Ministry of Health, Welfare, and Sport since 2013.