{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,11]],"date-time":"2026-10-11T17:46:36Z","timestamp":1791740796410,"version":"4.3.4"},"reference-count":32,"publisher":"SAGE Publications","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,8]],"date-time":"2026-10-08T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1791417600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/4.0\/"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,8]],"date-time":"2026-10-08T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1791417600000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/page\/policies\/text-and-data-mining-license"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/100014609","name":"Public Health Wales","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100014609","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["journals.sagepub.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Perspect Public Health"],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background:<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      Childhood obesity in Wales is a significant public health issue, with prevalence rates particularly high among socioeconomically disadvantaged communities. The Welsh Government has responded to this issue by launching the\n                      <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">Healthy Weight: Healthy Wales<\/jats:italic>\n                      strategy, which includes the Children and Families Programme. The Children and Families Programme takes a whole-systems approach to increase the proportion of children leaving the school foundation phase (aged between three and seven years) at a healthy weight. This study presents a process evaluation of the early-phase implementation of a childhood obesity-focused evaluation, the Children and Families Programme, across three contrasting localities in Wales: Anglesey, Cardiff, and Merthyr Tydfil.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods:<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Thirteen stakeholders involved in the Children and Families Programme were recruited through purposive sampling. The participants represented key roles in public health, dietetics, and community engagement. Semi-structured interviews were co-produced with public health leads and conducted online. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to analyse the interview data.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results:<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Four key themes were identified: (1) development of the whole-systems approach, (2) partnership working, (3) systemic challenges, and (4) recommendations for future implementation. The findings emphasised the importance of strong leadership, co-production, and cross-sector collaboration. Challenges emerged around system maturity, siloed working, cultural perceptions of weight, and limited time for embedding systemic change.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion:<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This process evaluation not only highlights the potential of whole-systems approaches in tackling childhood obesity as a complex public health issue, but also underscores the need for time, trust-building, and deeper community engagement. These findings offer actionable guidance for future whole-systems approach initiatives, particularly in the early stages, aimed at reducing health inequalities and improving childhood health outcomes in and beyond Wales.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1177\/17579139261488787","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,8]],"date-time":"2026-10-08T12:17:31Z","timestamp":1791461851000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/sage-journals-update-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["An early-phase process evaluation of a whole-systems approach to healthy weight among children and families in Wales"],"prefix":"10.1177","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0882-9900","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"AJ","family":"Potts","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Carnegie School of Sport, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds LS6 3QS, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"G","family":"Sanders","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Morelife (UK) Ltd, Leeds, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"S","family":"Bird","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Public Health Wales, Cardiff, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"I","family":"Johnson","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Public Health Wales, Cardiff, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3458-7201","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"D","family":"Radley","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Carnegie School of Sport, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,8]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_3_2_2_2","article-title":"Healthy weight strategy (healthy weight healthy Wales)","author":"Welsh Government","year":"2019","unstructured":"Welsh Government. 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