Background

Childhood obesity is a growing public health crisis in Europe, with prevalence rates tripling over the past decades (WHO,2021). Today, one in three children in the WHO European Region is overweight or obese (WHO 2022; COSI 2022-2024).
The lack of structured parental education on nutrition leaves many parents ill-equipped to promote healthy eating habits. Interventions must go beyond individual behaviours and promote a holistic approach that strengthens parenting skills.
Healthy EAT promotes inclusive education on nutrition, to all families, but especially to families   with educational disadvantage in health literacy (Siopis et al., 2023). By partnering with educators, health and social workers, and local organizations, the project ensures widespread knowledge dissemination and supports families through community-based, culturally adapted training.

Objectives

Healthy EAT aims to strengthen parental competencies, equip social and health educators with tailored training, and foster positive health behaviour to prevent childhood obesity. It enhances nutrition literacy, supports informed food choices, and promotes sustainable eating habits. Through digital learning tools and community engagement, the project ensures accessibility, scalability, and policy impact, contributing to a healthier food environment for children across Europe.

Implementation

The Project is structured into 5 WPs:

• WP1 - Project Management & Coordination.
• WP2 - Co-design of the Healthy EAT E-booklet (R1), focusing on cross-national research on internal and external family factors related to childhood obesity and collaborative workshops with stakeholders.
• WP3 - Development of e-learning contents for the e-learning platform (R2) with theoretical and practical material.
• WP4 - Training, Pilot & Evaluation.
• WP5 - Dissemination & Communication.

Results

Healthy EAT delivers two key results: the e-booklet (R1) and the e-learning platform (R2), equipping families and health and social educators with health competence on healthy nutrition and practical nutrition strategies. Expected outcomes include improved nutritional literacy, enhanced parental competencies, and increased professional capacity to support families regarding healthy eating habits. The project fosters behavioural change, promotes sustainability, and informs policy recommendations, ensuring long-term impact on childhood obesity prevention across Europe.