Increased Monitoring of Physical Activity and Calories With Technology

Summary

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.

Conditions

• Weight Change, Body
• Behavior, Health
• Obesity, Childhood
• Parent-Child Relations

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Brenner mFIT (standard care)

Families attend an orientation, in which they are then scheduled for an initial introductory 2-hour intake group session and cooking class; these occur within 2-4 weeks of the orientation. Monthly 1-hour long visits with the dietitian, counselor, and PA specialist are held for 6 months, in which the child and caregiver see the pediatrician. During the 6 months of treatment, they attend 4 group classes, choosing from topics such as meal planning, PA, and parenting. Specialized visits with the PA specialist or dietician are scheduled as pertinent issues arise. Motivational interviewing, modified by Brenner FIT for use with families, is the key to treatment; family counselors are trained in cognitive behavioral therapy, parenting support/mindfulness, and employ these approaches to assist families in developing healthy habits.

BEHAVIORAL

Brenner mFIT (standard care plus mobile health components)

Brenner mFIT includes all components of the standard Brenner FIT program in addition to six mobile health components. The six mHealth components that will be used in addition to standard Brenner Families in Training program include- 1. a mobile-enabled website, 2. diet and physical activity tracking apps and physical activity tracker 3. tailored self-monitoring feedback 4. caregiver podcasts 5. animated videos for adolescent patients 6. social support via social media.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)

  collaborator NIH

• Wake Forest University Health Sciences

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Justin B Moore, PhD · Wake Forest University Health Sciences

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

13 Years

Max Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2020-11-04

Primary Completion

2022-12-01

Completion

2022-12-01

Countries

• United States

Study Locations