Increased Monitoring of Physical Activity and Calories With Technology

Increased Monitoring of Physical Activity and Calories With Technology

Since severe obesity in youth has been steadily increasing. Specialized pediatric obesity clinics provide programs to aid in reducing obesity. Since the home environment and parental behavioral modeling are two of the strongest predictors of child weight loss during behavioral weight loss interventions, a family-based treatment approach is best. This strategy has been moderately successful in our existing, evidence-based pediatric weight management program, Brenner Families In Training (Brenner FIT). However, since programs such as Brenner Families in Training rely on face-to-face interactions and delivery, they are sometimes by the time constraints experienced by families. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to develop and pilot a tailored, mobile health component to potentially increase the benefits seen by Brenner FIT standard program components and similar pediatric weight management programs.

For this project, we will randomize 80 youth with obesity (13 - 18yrs) and a caregiver (dyads) to the Brenner Families in Training (FIT) group or the Brenner Families in Training Mobile (mFIT) group. All youth participants will receive a commercially available activity monitor. Caregivers will receive podcasts with a story about a caregiver supporting weight loss in a child by providing healthy foods/activities for his/her family, including healthy eating and physical activity information. Children will receive animated videos that contain healthy eating and physical activity messaging, with an engaging story of a child losing weight. All participants will have access to a website and mobile apps where they will track weight, diet, and physical activity for themselves (youth) or their child (parents). Based on their reports of weight, eating, and physical activity, the messaging received from clinical staff by the families will be individually tailored to promote healthy behaviors and overcome perceived barriers. The proposed research is innovative in that it explicitly incorporates theory into the intervention and evaluation components of the project and builds upon an existing literature on mobile health interventions that use mobile technology.

Inclusion Criteria:

Youth with obesity, 13 - 18yrs, who are enrolled or eligible to enroll in Brenner Families in Training (FIT). Caregivers must live in the home with their youth participants. Obesity is defined a BMI (35.9 +/- 8.6). Participants must also have access to a smartphone or tablet

Exclusion Criteria:

Adolescents under the age of 13 will be excluded. If participants do not have access to a smartphone or tablet, they will not be able to participate.