Preventing children overweight in disadvantaged areas in Andalusia using a collaborative tool

Abstract Introduction Childhood overweight and obesity (COO) is a major public health problem that can lead to a wide range of non-communicable diseases. COO prevalence is higher in families with lower income, education, and parental employment status. This gap persists over time and exacerbates health inequalities. Intervention Within the context of the Health4EUKids project, Andalusia has adapted the good practice (GP) ‘GRÜNAU MOVES’ programme that, based on a participatory community approach, emphasizes local actors’ involvement in context analysis and intervention design, particularly in deprived areas. Moreover, the Living Healthy Tool (LHT) tailored for Spain to assess 14 determinants of CCO was used to identify actionable improvements. Our pilot is located in Polígono Sur (PS) an area identified as one of the most deprived areas in the EU. PS has the support of the Office for the Commissioner for the PS, set up in 2003 to develop and implement a comprehensive plan to regenerate the area, together with the neighbours, technicians, social organisations and political authorities. Outcomes The LHT was applied to 3 stakeholder groups in PS (n = 18) to gather diverse perspectives through collaborative discussions. “Improve household eating practices” and “Transform the unhealthy food environment” were identified as critical areas. Through a participatory process and consensus, 6 actions were agreed to address them, including a training course on ‘Shopping basket and healthy cooking’ targeting families in particularly vulnerable contexts with adapted contents. Following a training cascade approach, the first 24 local social agents and public services professionals have implemented a series of workshop with families from April to June 2025. Conclusions The use of LHT to analyse contexts, prioritise needs and design interventions can be used as an evidence-based way to develop a comprehensible roadmap for health promotion and disease prevention in deprived areas as PS. Key messages • Local stakeholders in disadvantaged areas, mainly from third sector, play a crucial role in identifying areas for improvement and developing actions to address them. • Tackling the problems of vulnerable areas requires collaboration at various levels, including between neighbours, social organisations, and political authorities (national, regional, and local).