The University of Bristol is today (15 December) launching an ambitious research project which promises to address the common drivers of both obesity and under-nutrition in China and Southeast Asia.
Malnutrition is the leading cause of disease and mortality globally in Southeast Asia and carries substantial social and economic burdens.
The multi-nation project: Systems Actions to Malnutrition in All Its Forms in Chinese and Southeast Asian Cities – Developing Double Duty, Population-Level Interventions (SYSTAM CHINA-SEACS) is funded by the Medical Research Council in the UK and will be led by Dr Bai Li at the University of Bristol.
Through this world-first initiative, Dr Li plans to demonstrate that by developing systemic solutions to tackle under nutrition, governments and policy-makers can also prevent obesity and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as cancer, diabetes and stroke.
This approach is known as double-duty, and involves identifying interventions, programmes and policies that can simultaneously reduce the burden of both undernutrition (including wasting, stunting and micronutrient deficiency or insufficiency) and overweight, obesity or diet-related NCDs.
The study will be piloted in the Chinese city of Fang Cheng Gang, which has been designated an international medical innovation city by President Xi Jinping and is the permanent host of the China-ASEAN Nutrition forum.
Dr Li said: "It is a privilege to have the opportunity to work with China Guangxi and Fang Chang Gang local authorities, world-leading academics and other partners, to demonstrate the power of a systems approach to improving population nutrition. Our world-first research will build empirical evidence for and practical understanding of this new approach, so policy-makers and researchers in Asia and other parts of the world can better address the double burden of malnutrition."
Local decision makers will own the process of intervention development and form local ‘delivery Action Groups’ to maximise feasibility, impact and sustainability. The aim is to close the gap between intervention development and delivery, allow a more co-ordinated use of existing resources and introduce a new way of working. Researchers will report practical lessons learnt in Fang Cheng Gang to policy makers of 11 SEA countries with a vision to scale up the work in this region.