A mobile app that delivers real-time updates on a child’s weight for kids with obesity is more effective than traditional treatment.
The ability to track the same data by both patients’ relatives and healthcare professionals makes it possible to provide more individualized assistance when it is needed.
This is demonstrated by a study published in the International Journal of Obesity by Karolinska Institutet in Sweden.
Obesity treatment for children and adolescents must be improved. According to international studies, regular follow-up visits, such as every two weeks, are the most beneficial in preserving behavior changes.
“But it’s not feasible, neither for the families nor the healthcare system. We, therefore, need to find new ways to provide more support,” explains Emilia Hagman, a researcher from the Department of Clinical Science, Intervention, and Technology who examined a new digital tool, the Evira mobile app, in a study.
The study is a pragmatic study, which means that the therapies were evaluated in a real-life clinical context rather than being randomly assigned to the participants.
The outcome was 100 percent better
Over the course of a year, 100 kids at Stockholm’s Martina Children’s Hospital (Martina Centrum för Vikthälsa) were able to try out the digi-physical treatment approach. Using the app, the child stands on a scale that has no numbers on it every day. The family may observe their child’s weight progress as a curve in the app, which should be within a green weight target development curve. The target curve was determined individually and revised every three months during physical appointments.
Professionals in the healthcare field had access to the same information. Healthcare workers might offer more assistance via a chat option, or parents could request additional assistance if needed.
To ensure efficacy, these children were compared to 300 children from the Swedish childhood obesity treatment register, BORIS, who were getting normal care at other clinics around Sweden over the same time period and were chosen at random but were age and sex matched.
When compared to the control group, the families who used the app had twice as good results, i.e. they lost twice as much weight.
Adolescents enjoyed it
Pernilla Danielsson Liljeqvist, a researcher at Karolinska Institutet’s Department of Clinical Science, Intervention, and Technology, adds, “This is the first app whereby healthcare professionals, and the family can monitor the child’s weight developement in real-time.” “It was particularly gratifying that it worked so well for adolescents, who we otherwise have not been able to reach with behaviour-changing therapy. The app provides more support through continuous feedback, which creates clarity with regard to the treatment. We could not note any side effects associated with the treatment, for example in the form of eating disorders .”
One of the study’s limitations is that it was only conducted in one clinic. There is also no information on how many physical visits the control group received.
“We know that the paediatric obesity treatment in Sweden is focused on behavioural change and the control group’s results are in line with BORIS’ annual report and major international reviews,” notes Pernilla Danielsson Liljeqvist. “A calculation of the cost of the treatment was also not included. We must first know that it works.”
More clinics will be screened
From 1 June 2022, Evira’s mobile app will be included in Vrdvalet (Reimbursed treatment) in Region Stockholm, Sweden, allowing it to be utilized at more clinics.
A multinational investigation comprising various European nations is also being planned by the researchers.
Image Credit: Getty
You were reading: This New Mobile App Monitors A Child’s Weight In Real-time