Leveraging Telemedicine to Manage Adolescent Obesity (Preprint)

Abstract

BACKGROUND Obesity and adolescent obesity are an international problem that has increased three-fold since 1975. It is one of the fastest growing conditions in the world. Adolescent obesity is highly correlated with long-term health consequences that eventually become public burdens. Sedentism and diet are mostly to blame for this condition. Telemedicine offers solutions, but little work has been published that links telemedicine efforts to health outcomes. OBJECTIVE The objective of this systematic literature review is to analyze the effectiveness of telemedicine interventions into adolescent obesity through analysis of data over the last 10 years internationally. METHODS Four research databases were queried with a Boolean search string. The systematic literature review was conducted in accordance with a published protocol and reported in accordance with PRISMA (2020). RESULTS Three interventions (mHealth, eHealth, and video call) were identified in 17 RCTs that originated in 9 countries. Interventions reported improvements in BMI, zBMI, weight loss, waist and hip circumference, physical activity, cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, triglycerides, fasting blood sugar, symptoms of food addiction, health knowledge, muscle mass, strength, agility, body fat, behavior change, adherence to weight-loss programs, life perspectives, global lifestyles, nutrition, psychological impacts, stress, and depression. CONCLUSIONS Telemedicine offers interventions into the management of adolescent obesity, however, not all interventions reported statistically significant or long-term results. Successful designs engaged parents, the school system, and adolescents through mHealth and eHealth apps. More research should be conducted that focuses on achieving long-term results in the areas of weight loss, BMI, and behavior change. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT RR2-10.2196/15490