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Review
. 2021 Sep;10(3):371-384.
doi: 10.1007/s13679-021-00446-w. Epub 2021 Jul 24.

Pediatric Obesity Treatment via Telehealth: Current Evidence and Future Directions

Erin L Moorman  1 , Natalie C Koskela-Staples  1 , Babetta B Mathai  1 , David A Fedele  1 , David M Janicke  2
Affiliations
Review

Pediatric Obesity Treatment via Telehealth: Current Evidence and Future Directions

Erin L Moorman et al. Curr Obes Rep. 2021 Sep.

Abstract

Purpose of review: Telehealth delivery of pediatric weight management interventions may address time, travel, and cost barriers to in-person interventions, thus improving accessibility. This narrative review highlights findings from the past 5 years of pediatric lifestyle interventions for weight management that utilize telehealth for treatment delivery. We describe impressions and future directions.

Recent findings: We identified and included 20 studies that described unique interventions from the past 5 years. The majority of reviewed studies indicated statistically significant reductions in BMI z-scores, high retention and attendance, and high satisfaction. However, mean decreases in BMI z-scores were marginal (approximately 0.10) in all but two studies. Studies did not often report effect sizes. Pediatric telehealth weight management interventions demonstrate good feasibility and acceptability. Improvement in reporting results and more rigorous research, including use of randomized designs, recruitment of larger samples, and incorporation of extended follow-up is needed to determine clinical impact and magnitude of effects.

Keywords: Lifestyle interventions; Narrative review; Pediatric; Telehealth; Weight management.

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References

Papers of particular interest, published recently, have been highlighted as: •• Of major importance
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