Childhood overweight and obesity are rising across the former Yugoslav states, driven by rapid nutrition transitions, changing lifestyles and ongoing socioeconomic disparities. Schools are among the few settings that can consistently reach children at scale, and recent WHO guidelines highlight their potential to promote healthier eating and more active daily routines. However, despite this policy momentum, the evidence base for school-based nutrition interventions in the region has not been systematically reviewed. This scoping review aims to synthesize peer-reviewed studies that implemented school-based nutrition interventions in Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia or Kosovo.
Using guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses system, a scoping review was conducted across 14 academic databases between 2000 and September 2025.
Twelve studies met the inclusion criteria. Most were conducted in Croatia, with smaller clusters in Slovenia and Serbia. The interventions ranged widely – from classroom lessons and cross-curricular activities to parent engagement, school meal changes, digital platforms, and combined nutrition and physical activity programs. Nearly all reported short-term improvements in knowledge, dietary behaviors or physical activity. Only three studies followed students beyond the immediate post-intervention period, and none assessed long-term outcomes or impacts.
Taken together, the evidence is encouraging but incomplete. Multi-component programs are promising, but the field still lacks standardized measures, follow-up beyond three-six months post intervention, and attention to the structural realities of post-socialist school systems. Aligning future work with recommendations of international organizations for school nutrition and health promotion among children and families would strengthen these important public health services.
