Transforming Food Systems for the Prevention of Childhood Overweight and Obesity in the Gulf Region

Background/Objectives: The prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity is increasing rapidly across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), threatening public health and economic sustainability. Drivers include increased availability and consumption of ultra-processed foods and sugar-sweetened beverages, physical inactivity, and pervasive marketing of unhealthy foods. This study used a secondary, framework-guided narrative synthesis of two regional reports to map child-relevant policy coverage, examine reported implementation barriers, and identify priorities for action across the six GCC countries.

Methods

We used two comprehensive regional reports by the Gulf Center for Disease Prevention and Control (Gulf CDC), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and World Health Organization. The analysis synthesizes 103 policy-related documents and 32 key-informant interviews across six Gulf countries.