[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/en\/article\/modal\/9200\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EGiving young people the power to beat obesity\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EWant to end obesity among teenagers? Then listening to their solutions is an important first step, says an international team of researchers working with young people to design new policies.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EWhile young people\u2019s views on the causes \u2013 and solutions \u2013 are \u0022critical\u0022, they can be overlooked by politicians and health experts, says Knut-Inge Klepp, a renowned expert on adolescent health promotion. He is the principal investigator of \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cordis.europa.eu\/project\/id\/774210\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003ECO-CREATE\u003C\/a\u003E, a project that is filling the gaps in obesity research by focusing on the perspectives of adolescents.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003EThey (teenagers) bring in factors that we as professionals and adults might not have considered.\r\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EProf. Knut-Inge Klepp, Norwegian Institute of Public Health\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018To implement policies and ensure they have an impact, it is critical to have young people engaged (in their design),\u2019 Prof. Klepp explained. \u2018They are the ones who know how (an intervention) might affect them, and how relevant it is.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EWith this in mind, the project brought together teenagers (ages 16-18) in five European countries to help design ways to reduce adolescent obesity. By working together in groups called Youth Alliances, the young people participating in the CO-CREATE project have developed numerous policy ideas.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018They bring in factors that we as professionals and adults might not have considered,\u2019 he added.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EListening to the youth\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003ETeens participating in the Youth Alliances in Norway proposed policies to make exercise facilities available in schools outside of school hours and to restrict the marketing of junk food. They also raised the problem that eating healthily is more expensive since most junk foods are cheaper than wholesome foods.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018If we can limit the marketing of unhealthy food and strengthen the marketing of healthy food, then behaviours might change,\u2019 one Norway alliance member told the researchers.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EIn the Netherlands, Youth Alliances in Amsterdam and Almere suggested initiatives like educational cooking classes and packing school canteens with \u2018warm, healthy and tasty food\u2019 that is actually prepared by the students themselves. The idea is to promote recipes shared by students.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThe Dutch teens also proposed a sugar tax (a fee per gram of sugar) to raise awareness and persuade the industry to decrease the amount of sugar in their products. They also called for price discounts for healthy foods and drinks and for these products to be placed in prominent locations at supermarkets to encourage purchases.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EYouth Alliances in Poland and Portugal also targeted supermarkets, proposing initiatives aimed at making healthy foods more prominent. Polish teens expressed concern that excessive availability of unhealthy products in shops leads to unhealthy food choices. Teens in Portugal suggested supermarkets limit the display of unhealthy products nearest to the entrances and near cash points.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EIn the UK, teens participating in Youth Alliances in Greenwich proposed the use of social media to encourage healthy eating habits. Currently, young people are bombarded with junk food marketing on social media. To counter this and protect children from the marketing of unhealthy products the group proposed the creation of social media accounts (at school level, but also community-based and national level) that promote healthy foods among young people.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003EWe really care about changing the system \u2026 we have good ideas \u2026 that they haven\u2019t thought of, and the guts to think anew.\r\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003ETeenage member of the Youth Alliance\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EAccording to Prof. Klepp, teenagers taking part in the project have developed a wide range of ideas \u2013 from free drinking water in public spaces to putting strong messages on fast food products about their impact on the environment.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EOne teenager involved in the Youth Alliances told researchers: \u2018We really care about changing the system \u2026 we have good ideas \u2026 that they haven\u2019t thought of, and the guts to think anew.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EAnother member also highlighted the importance of collaboration: \u2018I hope that people involved see that there is a whole generation willing to change our society for the better and that we are very determined to work with them to achieve that goal.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETurning teens\u2019 ideas into action\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018We have worked quite a bit on setting up the dialogue forums where we bring together teenagers and professional lobbyists and politicians,\u2019 said Prof. Klepp.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EKey to this is ensuring everyone can take part on a level footing. So, adults introduce themselves listing their interests \u2013 rather than their job titles \u2013 and meetings are moderated by the teenagers.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018It has been interesting to see how you do this in a safe and respectful way for the young people,\u2019 Prof. Klepp noted.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThe job of the CO-CREATE researchers now is to assess the proposals compiled by the Youth Alliances. Taking a bottom-up approach, the most promising will be put forward to local and national authorities to build on the European Union \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/health\/other-pages\/basic-page\/strategy-nutrition-overweight-and-obesity-related-health-issues_en\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EStrategy on nutrition, overweight and obesity\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EBy implementing this model for how to involve young people, CO-CREATE\u2019s goal is to make sure the voices of young people are not missing from the strategies and policies that affect them.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018The youth have set the priorities based on the policies discussed by the various Youth Alliances,\u2019 explained Prof. Klepp. \u2018They selected the policies they want to pursue and discuss further. We will be the ones who will pick up the policy proposals and drive them up.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003ESee also:\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/research-and-innovation\/en\/horizon-magazine\/empowering-europes-youth-thrive-post-pandemic-world\u0022\u003EEmpowering Europe\u0027s youth to thrive in a post-pandemic world\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EThe research in this article was funded by the EU. If you liked this article, please consider sharing it on social media.\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-bg-bluelightest tw-p-12 tw-my-12 tw--mx-16\u0022\u003E\n \u003Ch3 class=\u0022tw-font-sans tw-font-bold tw-text-blue tw-uppercase tw-text-lg tw-mb-8\u0022\u003EIt\u2019s a \u2018ticking time bomb\u2019\u003C\/h3\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-inline-block tw-w-1\/6 tw-h-1 tw-bg-blue tw-mb-8\u0022\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EThere\u2019s no sugar-coating it, childhood obesity is a growing concern. About \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/apps.who.int\/iris\/bitstream\/handle\/10665\/332091\/9789289055000-eng.pdf\u0022\u003E20% of school-age children in Europe\u003C\/a\u003E are overweight or obese, and the rates have been rising in many countries, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe United Nations Children\u2019s Fund (\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.unicef.org\/documents\/prevention-overweight-and-obesity-children-and-adolescents\u0022\u003EUnicef\u003C\/a\u003E) describes it as a \u2018new trap of unhealthy and highly processed foods combined with a lack of physical activity\u2019. The problem has been called a \u2018ticking time bomb\u2019 by the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/documents1.worldbank.org\/curated\/en\/205611580359927371\/pdf\/Main-Report.pdf\u0022\u003EWorld Bank\u003C\/a\u003E, with data showing a rapid rise in Europe and every continent.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003C\/textarea\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n \u003Cdiv id=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 class=\u0022ecl-help-block description\u0022\u003E\n Please copy the above code and embed it onto your website to republish.\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cinput autocomplete=\u0022off\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022form-75wwyt5-d-4pzqp4rbbqz3lfafufu6x15fnf-9frsn4\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_build_id\u0022 value=\u0022form-75WwyT5_d-4pZQp4rBbQZ3lfAfufu6X15FNf-9fRsN4\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003Cinput data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_id\u0022 value=\u0022modal_form_example_modal_form\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003C\/form\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E","dialogOptions":{"width":"800","modal":true,"title":"Republish this content"}}]