Telemedicine and Pediatric Obesity Treatment: Review of the literature and lessons learned.

Abstract

Pediatric obesity is more prevalent in rural areas, yet rural families may not have access to pediatric obesity treatment programs. Use of new technologies, particularly telemedicine, has proven effective in other behavioral fields, such as psychiatry. This paper reviews the literature on the use of telemedicine in pediatric obesity treatment, and describes one tertiary-care pediatric obesity telemedicine program. We performed a systematic review of the literature from 1990-2011 using the following criteria: pediatric age group, overweight or obesity care or treatment, and use of telemedicine technology. Of 2873 abstracts identified, four studies met all inclusion criteria; all were published after 2008. The limited evidence suggests that telemedicine to be a promising approach to pediatric weight management, particularly for rural families with limited access to treatments. We also provide important lessons learned from one pediatric obesity treatment clinic offering services to rural families via telemedicine. Few studies have examined the use of telemedicine for pediatric obesity treatment, but the available data favor this method for treating rural patients. There are several unique key factors influencing successful delivery of a pediatric obesity telemedicine treatment program. This review identifies a potential avenue for expanded treatment, and highlights the need for further investigation.