{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,26]],"date-time":"2026-10-26T17:27:25Z","timestamp":1793035645370,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":28,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"7","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,30]],"date-time":"2026-03-30T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1774828800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"the European Union through the Horizon Europe Framework Programme","award":["101080219"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["101080219"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Nutrients"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: This structured narrative review summarizes and critically appraises evaluated childhood obesity prevention programs implemented in European countries and published between 2015 and 2024. Methods: Systematic searches for PubMed, EBSCOhost, and Google Scholar, complemented by research registries, were conducted year-by-year and independently screened by two reviewers. Results: Five multinational\/international programs were identified alongside multiple national initiatives delivered in family, school, community, healthcare, and digital settings. Overall, interventions consistently improved intermediate outcomes\u2014such as selected dietary behaviors, physical activity participation, knowledge, and parental self-efficacy\u2014more than anthropometric endpoints. Effects on BMI\/BMI z-score or overweight\/obesity prevalence were heterogeneous and frequently small or non-significant, especially for short-duration, single-setting educational interventions. More favorable anthropometric outcomes were commonly reported in long-term, population-scaled physical activity or community-based programs as well as in multidisciplinary healthcare-supported approaches; however, these strategies were typically resource-intensive and sometimes showed differential effectiveness across socioeconomic or cultural groups. Conclusions: The evidence indicates that single-setting or short-term interventions may improve selected behavioral outcomes but are generally insufficient to produce sustained effects on anthropometric measures without integration into broader, multi-level strategies. It is needed to integrate families, schools, communities, and health services with explicit attention to sustainability and equity. Technology-supported tools may strengthen reach and continuity when embedded within comprehensive prevention frameworks.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/nu18071100","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,30]],"date-time":"2026-03-30T12:11:59Z","timestamp":1774872719000},"page":"1100","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Evaluated Childhood Obesity Prevention and Management Programs in Europe, 2015\u20132024: A Structured Narrative Review of Behavioral and Anthropometric Outcomes"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"18","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3889-1913","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ma\u0142gorzata","family":"W\u00f3jcik","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Endocrinology, Chair of Pediatrics, Pediatric Institute, Jagiellonian University, 30-663 Crakow, Poland"},{"name":"Interclinical Center for the Treatment of Childhood Obesity, University Children\u2019s Hospital, Wielicka 265 St., 30-663 Cracow, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4770-5641","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Agnieszka","family":"Kozio\u0142-Kozakowska","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Interclinical Center for the Treatment of Childhood Obesity, University Children\u2019s Hospital, Wielicka 265 St., 30-663 Cracow, Poland"},{"name":"Laboratory of Pediatric Dietetics, Department of Pediatrics, Gastroenterology and Nutrition, Jagiellonian University Medical College, 30-663 Crakow, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Anna","family":"Iwa\u0144ska","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Endocrinology, Chair of Pediatrics, Pediatric Institute, Jagiellonian University, 30-663 Crakow, Poland"},{"name":"Interclinical Center for the Treatment of Childhood Obesity, University Children\u2019s Hospital, Wielicka 265 St., 30-663 Cracow, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0003-2848-6903","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ewelina","family":"Cichocka-Mroczek","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Pediatric Dietetics, Department of Pediatrics, Gastroenterology and Nutrition, Jagiellonian University Medical College, 30-663 Crakow, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4619-7705","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Edyta","family":"\u0141uszczki","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Health Sciences and Psychology, Collegium Medicum, University of Rzeszow, 35-959 Rzeszow, 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Val\u00e8ncia, 46014 Valencia, Spain"},{"name":"iPEDITEC, Fundaci\u00f3n Investigaci\u00f3n Hospital General Universitario de Valencia, 46014 Valencia, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Isa","family":"Hartgring","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pediatrics, Consorci Hospital General Universitari de Val\u00e8ncia, 46014 Valencia, Spain"},{"name":"iPEDITEC, Fundaci\u00f3n Investigaci\u00f3n Hospital General Universitario de Valencia, 46014 Valencia, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Lola","family":"Mart\u00ednez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pediatrics, Consorci Hospital General Universitari de Val\u00e8ncia, 46014 Valencia, Spain"},{"name":"iPEDITEC, Fundaci\u00f3n Investigaci\u00f3n Hospital General Universitario de Valencia, 46014 Valencia, Spain"},{"name":"CIBER Physiopathology of Obesity and Nutrition (CIBERobn), Health Institute Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0002-5654-6021","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Just\u0117","family":"Parnarauskien\u0117","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinic of Children\u2019s Diseases, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius University, LT-08661 Vilnius, Lithuania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2968-9898","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Fernando","family":"Fernandez-Aranda","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CIBER Physiopathology of Obesity and Nutrition (CIBERobn), Health Institute Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, Spain"},{"name":"Clinical Psychology Department, Bellvitge University Hospital, 08907 Barcelona, Spain"},{"name":"Psychoneurobiology of Eating and Addictive Behaviors Group, Neuroscience Program, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), 08908 Barcelona, Spain"},{"name":"Department of Clinical Sciences, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Barcelona, 08907 Barcelona, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7767-2102","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Augustina","family":"Jankauskien\u0117","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinic of Children\u2019s Diseases, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius University, LT-08661 Vilnius, Lithuania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1281-1164","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Dorota","family":"Dro\u017cd\u017c","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Interclinical Center for the Treatment of Childhood Obesity, University Children\u2019s Hospital, Wielicka 265 St., 30-663 Cracow, Poland"},{"name":"Departament of Pediatric Nephrology and Hypertension, Chair of Pediatrics, Pediatric Institute, Jagiellonian 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