The Effectiveness of Wearable Devices as Physical Activity Interventions for Preventing and Treating Obesity in Children and Adolescents: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Abstract

Background The prevalence of obesity in children and adolescents remains a global public health issue. Wearable devices may offer new opportunities for prevention and intervention in obesity. Previous systematic reviews have only examined the effect of the wearable device interventions on preventing and treating obesity in adults. However, no systematic review has provided an evaluation of wearable devices as physical activity interventions for preventing and treating obesity in children and adolescents. Objective The purpose of this review and meta-analysis was to evaluate the effectiveness of wearable devices as physical activity interventions on obesity-related anthropometric outcomes in children and adolescents. Methods Research articles retrieved from PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Scopus, and EBSCO from inception to February 1, 2021, were reviewed. The search was designed to identify studies utilizing wearable devices for preventing and treating obesity in children and adolescents. The included studies were evaluated for risk of bias following the Cochrane recommendation. Meta-analyses were conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of wearable devices as physical activity interventions on body weight, body fat, BMI z-score (BMI-Z), BMI, and waist circumference. Subgroup analyses were performed to determine whether the characteristics of the interventions had an impact on the effect size. Results A total of 12 randomized controlled trials (3227 participants) were selected for meta-analysis. Compared with the control group, wearable device interventions had statistically significant beneficial effects on BMI (mean difference [MD] –0.23; 95% CI –0.43 to –0.03; P=.03; I2=2%), BMI-Z (MD –0.07; 95% CI –0.13 to –0.01; P=.01; I2=81%), body weight (MD –1.08; 95% CI –2.16 to –0.00; P=.05; I2=58%), and body fat (MD –0.72; 95% CI –1.19 to –0.25; P=.003; I2=5%). However, no statistically significant effect was found on waist circumference (MD 0.55; 95% CI –0.21 to 1.32; P=.16; I2=0%). The subgroup analysis showed that for participants with overweight or obesity (MD –0.75; 95% CI –1.18 to –0.31; P<.01; I2=0%), in the short-term (MD –0.62; 95% CI –1.03 to –0.21; P<.01; I2=0%), wearable-based interventions (MD –0.56; 95% CI –0.95 to –0.18; P<.01; I2=0%) generally resulted in greater intervention effect size on BMI. Conclusions Evidence from this meta-analysis shows that wearable devices as physical activity interventions may be useful for preventing and treating obesity in children and adolescents. Future research is needed to identify the most effective physical activity indicators of wearable devices to prevent and treat obesity in children and adolescents.

The ENDORSE Feasibility Study: Exploring the Use of M-Health, Artificial Intelligence and Serious Games for the Management of Childhood Obesity

“…The benefit of applying wearables for physical activity monitoring toward weight controlling in childhood obesity was also demonstrated within the ENDORSE feasibility trial since a statistically significant correlation was revealed between the activity tracker average usage and the reduction of the BMI z-score (−0.355, p = 0.017). This finding is in accordance with the outcomes of a recent systematic review and meta-analysis investigating the effectiveness of interventions supported by activity trackers in preventing and treating childhood obesity [ 51 ]. Wearable device interventions had statistically significant beneficial effects on BMI, BMI z-score, body weight, and body fat.…”

Association between Bisphenol A exposure and body composition parameters in children

“…The prevalence of childhood and adolescent obesity has become a major public health issue in China ( 25 ). In addition to being a risk factor for multiple chronic non-communicable diseases in adults, childhood and adolescent obesity can have detrimental effects on various aspects of health, including cardiovascular, endocrine, respiratory, liver, skeletal, psychological, behavioral, and cognitive health ( 26 , 27 ). In this study, we investigated the relationship between BPA exposure and body composition parameters in children aged 4 to 6 years.…”

Strategies to Improve Physical Activity and Nutrition Behaviours in Children and Adolescents: A Review

“…with a high degree of personal preference for users [67,68]. Interestingly, limited extant data indicate that wearable devices in a PA intervention can result in significant improvements in body weight and composition in children and adolescents [69]. Nevertheless, with the recent advent of activity trackers specifically designed for children (e.g., KidFit, Fitbit Ace, LeapFrog LeapBand, Sqord Activity Tracker, Garmin Vivofit Jr 2, etc.…”