[Prevention of childhood obesity: participatory development of municipal strategies to increase community readiness].

Abstract

Community readiness (CR) describes the degree to which a municipality is prepared to actively address a health problem. It is a central condition for successful and sustainable prevention efforts. The CR for childhood obesity prevention is low in German municipalities, which makes it difficult to implement effective measures.The aim of this study was to develop strategies to increase CR for the prevention of childhood obesity in municipalities. In Bavarian municipalities, workshops (n=5) were conducted with municipal stakeholders after an initial CR assessment. Their specific results were analysed and based on this, strategies were developed in a participatory manner.The municipal strategies focused on three areas: (1) optimising resources for prevention efforts, (2) supporting knowledge about childhood obesity and prevention and (3) strengthening prioritisation of childhood obesity.The strategies offer practical approaches to promote CR and provide a basis for further development and implementation of effective prevention efforts. An evaluation of effectiveness can be made through follow-up measurements after implementation of the strategies.