On 8 September 2026, more than 140 researchers, practitioners, and policymakers came together online and in person at the Charles Perkins Centre, University of Sydney, for the EPOCH-Translate Centre of Research Excellence Evidence to Action Forum. Facilitated by Associate Professor Nadia Mastersson of The Australian Prevention Partnership Centre, the Forum shared key learnings from 11 years of NHMRC-funded research collaboration and explored how evidence can be translated into real-world action to improve child health outcomes.

Professor Louise Baur, Director of EPOCH-Translate CRE, opened the Forum by highlighting the importance of preventing obesity in early childhood for immediate and longer-term health. Louise showcased EPOCH-Translate’s achievements in generating evidence relevant to policy and practice, developing practical resources such as evidence briefs for policy decision-makers and measurement tools for diet and physical activity, delivering national webinars, supporting early- to mid-career researcher capacity-building, and establishing the EPOCH-Connect Community of Practice.

1) Why invest early?

Professor Alison Hayes and Dr Vicki Brown presented evidence on the economic case for investing in early childhood obesity prevention. They highlighted the increased healthcare costs and reduced health-related quality of life associated with childhood overweight and obesity, and the stark socioeconomic inequalities in obesity prevalence in early childhood. The Health Economic Models, developed through the EPOCH and EPOCH-Translate CREs to predict future costs and benefits of early childhood obesity prevention interventions and generate evidence on their cost-effectiveness, are available here.

2) What should we do, and how do we decide?

Dr Kylie Hunter presented findings from the TOPCHILD study, which is the largest global analysis of early childhood obesity prevention trials to date. The study showed that early childhood obesity prevention interventions did not improve BMI in children at age 2 years. These findings highlight the need to address the broader obesogenic environment and take a whole-system approach to preventing obesity in early childhood.

Dr Konsita Kuswara shared what it takes to integrate early childhood obesity prevention into routine primary health care, highlighting the need to make prevention core business, connect care around families and create opportunities for the primary healthcare workforce to deliver preventive care. Her presentation highlighted the role of early childhood education and social and community services in supporting optimal child growth and connecting families with appropriate support.

Dr Brittany J Johnson presented the Child Health Evidence Hub. The Hub is a comprehensive library that brings together evidence relating to child nutrition, movement, sleep and growth. It was created to support program planners and service providers to find and use evidence when designing, adapting and delivering programs and services for families with young children in Australia.​