School of Public Health, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo 01246-904, Brazil.
Centre for Public Health, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast BT12 6BA, UK.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2024 Jul 9;21(7):893. doi: 10.3390/ijerph21070893.
The intricate relationship between food systems and health outcomes, known as the food-nutrition-health nexus, intersects with environmental concerns. However, there's still a literature gap in evaluating food systems alongside the global syndemic using the complex systems theory, especially concerning vulnerable populations like children. This research aimed to design a system dynamics model to advance a theoretical understanding of the connections between food systems and the global syndemic, particularly focusing on their impacts on children under five years of age. The framework was developed through a literature review and authors' insights into the relationships between the food, health, and environmental components of the global syndemic among children. The conceptual model presented 17 factors, with 26 connections and 6 feedback loops, categorized into the following 5 groups: environmental, economic, school-related, family-related, and child-related. It delineated and elucidated mechanisms among the components of the global syndemic encompassing being overweight, suffering from undernutrition, and climate change. The findings unveiled potential interactions within food systems and health outcomes. Furthermore, the model integrated elements of the socio-ecological model by incorporating an external layer representing the environment and its natural resources. Consequently, the development of public policies and interventions should encompass environmental considerations to effectively tackle the complex challenges posed by the global syndemic.
食物系统与健康结果之间复杂的关系，即食物-营养-健康关联，与环境问题相交织。然而，在使用复杂系统理论评估食物系统和全球大流行病时，仍然存在文献空白，特别是对于儿童等弱势群体。本研究旨在设计一个系统动力学模型，以深入了解食物系统与全球大流行病之间的联系，特别是它们对五岁以下儿童的影响。该框架是通过文献综述以及作者对儿童全球大流行病中食物、健康和环境组成部分之间关系的深入了解来制定的。所提出的概念模型展示了 17 个因素、26 个连接和 6 个反馈回路，分为以下 5 组：环境、经济、与学校相关、与家庭相关和与儿童相关。它描绘并阐明了超重、营养不良和气候变化等全球大流行病组成部分之间的机制。研究结果揭示了食物系统和健康结果之间的潜在相互作用。此外，该模型通过纳入代表环境及其自然资源的外部层，整合了社会生态模型的要素。因此，制定公共政策和干预措施应包含环境考虑因素，以有效应对全球大流行病带来的复杂挑战。
