Abstract
BackgroundThere are few evidence-based mobile health solutions for treating adolescent obesity. The primary aim of this parallel non-inferiority trial is to assess the effectiveness of an experimental smartphone application in reducing obesity at 12 months, compared to the Temple Street W82GO Healthy Lifestyles intervention.Methods/designThe primary outcome measure is change in body mass index standardised deviation score at 12 months. The secondary aim is to compare the effect of treatment on secondary outcomes, including waist circumference, insulin sensitivity, quality of life, physical activity and psychosocial health. Adolescents with a body mass index at or above the 98th percentile (12 to 17 years) will be recruited from the Obesity clinic at Temple Street Children’s University Hospital in Dublin, Ireland. W82GO is a family-based lifestyle change intervention delivered in two phases over 12 months. In the current study, participants will be randomised for phase two of treatment to either usual care or care delivered via smartphone application. One hundred and thirty-four participants will be randomised between the two study arms. An intention-to-treat analysis will be used to compare treatment differences between the groups at 12 months.DiscussionThe results of this study will be disseminated via open access publication and will provide important information for clinicians, patients and policy makers regarding the use of mobile health interventions in the management of adolescent obesity.Trial registrationClinicaltrials.gov NCT01804855.
Highlights
There are few evidence-based mobile health solutions for treating adolescent obesity
A Cochrane Review reported sufficient evidence for the treatment effect of well-targeted interventions and its meta-analyses found a reduction in body mass index standardised deviation score (BMI SDS) of 0.14 at 12 months [3]
In a prospective study of the Temple Street W82GO Healthy Lifestyles programme (W82GO) programme, significant reductions in BMI SDS have been described after 12 months of treatment [4]
Summary
There are few evidence-based mobile health solutions for treating adolescent obesity. The primary aim of this parallel non-inferiority trial is to assess the effectiveness of an experimental smartphone application in reducing obesity at 12 months, compared to the Temple Street W82GO Healthy Lifestyles intervention. A Cochrane Review reported sufficient evidence for the treatment effect of well-targeted interventions and its meta-analyses found a reduction in body mass index standardised deviation score (BMI SDS) of 0.14 at 12 months [3]. The Temple Street W82GO Healthy Lifestyles programme (W82GO) is a family-based multidisciplinary outpatient treatment for child and adolescent obesity (http://w82go.ie/). In a prospective study of the W82GO programme, significant reductions in BMI SDS have been described after 12 months of treatment [4]. The beneficial effects of face-to-face family-based treatment have been described [5], it remains uncertain whether such treatments can be effective when delivered to potentially greater numbers using a mobile health approach
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