HOPE project in short

WHAT?

The aim of HOPE-project is:

Supporting and advancing the development and implementation of systematic, evidence-based European, national and regional policies effective for the prevention of obesity and its negative consequences on health and health inequalities.

HOPE-project wants to bring all the scientific knowledge on overweight, obesity and their determinants together and use the expertise of researchers all over Europe.

The project specifically aims to:

• Create a European scientific network on environmental determinants and interventions of nutrition, physical activity, overweight and obesity prevention. This network of networks will put together all expertise and projects that are currently ongoing or being developed in the area of nutrition, physical activity, overweight and obesity, and socio-economic inequalities in these issues within the European Union. Based on this knowledge integration, the project Steering Committee will serve as a scientific advisory and consultancy board to the European Commission and Member State representatives for the formulation of evidence-based policies;
• Carry out quantitative analyses, modelling and systematic reviews on obesogenic physical activity and nutrition behaviours, their environmental determinants, consequences on health and health inequalities among children and adults, and prevention interventions, in order to provide an evidence-based inventory of best practices for the development of evidence-based policies and interventions for obesity prevention across the European Union.

WHY?

The increase of overweight and obesity

The prevalence of overweight and obesity in Europe has been steadily increasing, with rates doubling during recent decades in several countries. An increasing number of the Member States have obesity levels (BMI>30) exceeding 20% in the adult population, and more than 50% of the total European adult population is overweight (BMI>25). Up to 20% of children in several Member States are overweight. The number of overweight children is estimated to be 22 million in 2006, increasing by over one million per year. This includes over 5 million children who are obese, a figure which is rising annually by over 300,000.

The need for effective Prevention of obesity

Weight gain and subsequent overweight are a result of an imbalance between food intake and physical activity. However, insight into the underlying determinants of these so called “obesogenic” behaviours across Europe is limited, and information about effective obesity prevention interventions and policies is scattered. Systematic attempts are necessary to increase knowledge on these determinants and interventions and to translate it into effective intervention strategies and policy measures. These attempts should take into account the great need for obesity prevention among the lower socio-economic groups.