Proposing a conceptual framework for integrated local public health policy, applied to childhood obesity - the behavior change ball

BACKGROUND: Childhood obesity is a 'wicked' public health problem that tackled by an integrated approach, which is enabled by integrated public policies. The development and implementation of such policies have in proven to be difficult, however, and studying why this is the case tool that may assist local policy-makers and those assisting them. A comprehensive framework that can help to identify options for systematically develop solutions may be used to support local policy- DISCUSSION: We propose the 'Behavior Change Ball' as a tool to study the development and implementation of integrated public health policies government. Based on the tenets of the 'Behavior Change Wheel' by Michie colleagues (2011), the proposed conceptual framework distinguishes behaviors of local policy-makers at the strategic, tactical and levels, as well as the determinants (motivation, capability, required for these behaviors, and interventions and policy categories influence them. To illustrate the difficulty of achieving sustained approaches, we use the metaphor of a ball in our framework: the landscapes surrounding the ball reflect the system's resistance to making it difficult for the ball to roll). We apply this framework to of childhood obesity prevention. The added value provided by the in its comprehensiveness, theoretical basis, diagnostic and heuristic face validity. SUMMARY: Since integrated public health policies have not widely developed and implemented in practice, organizational behaviors to the development of these policies remain to be investigated. A framework that can assist in systematically studying the policy process facilitate this. Our Behavior Change Ball adds significant value to public health policy frameworks by incorporating multiple theoretical perspectives, specifying a set of organizational behaviors and linking analysis of these behaviors to interventions and policies. We would examination by others of our framework as a tool to explain and guide development of integrated policies for the prevention of wicked public problems.