@Article{info:doi/10.2196/30675,
author="Kouvari, Matina
and Karipidou, Melina
and Tsiampalis, Thomas
and Mamalaki, Eirini
and Poulimeneas, Dimitrios
and Bathrellou, Eirini
and Panagiotakos, Demosthenes
and Yannakoulia, Mary",
title="Digital Health Interventions for Weight Management in Children and Adolescents: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis",
journal="J Med Internet Res",
year="2022",
month="Feb",
day="14",
volume="24",
number="2",
pages="e30675",
keywords="childhood obesity; eHealth; mHealth; digital health; youth; mobile phone",
abstract="Background: Recent meta-analyses suggest the use of technology-based interventions as a treatment option for obesity in adulthood. Similar meta-analytic approaches for children are scarce. Objective: The aim of this meta-analysis is to examine the effect of technology-based interventions on overweight and obesity treatment in children and adolescents. Methods: A systematic literature search was performed using MEDLINE (PubMed), Scopus, and Cochrane Library for randomized clinical trials to identify interventional studies published between January 2000 and February 2021. Results: In total, 9 manuscripts from 8 clinical trials of 582 children or adolescents were considered eligible. BMI, BMI z-score, and other BMI-related baseline metrics during and after intervention were considered as primary outcomes. In 7 of 8 studies, a technology-based intervention was applied in addition to conventional care. Of the 8 studies, 6 studies were conducted in the United States, 1 in Australia, and 1 in northwestern Europe. In total, 5 studies included adolescents, whereas the rest addressed children aged 9 to 12 years. Intervention duration ranged from 3 to 24 months. Significant differences between groups in BMI metric changes were reported by 5 of the 8 studies. Pooled analysis revealed an overall significant decrease in BMI metrics in the intervention group (standardized mean difference --0.61, 95{\%} CI --1.10 to --0.13; P=.01). Subgroup analysis revealed that significance was lost in case of no parental involvement (standardized mean difference --0.36, 95{\%} CI --0.83 to 0.11; P=.14). The small number of clinical trials found, the varying study quality, and the study heterogeneity are some limitations of this review. Conclusions: The studies reported herein describe functional and acceptable technology-based approaches, in addition to conventional treatments, to enhance weight loss in young populations. ",
issn="1438-8871",
doi="10.2196/30675",
url="https://www.jmir.org/2022/2/e30675",
url="https://doi.org/10.2196/30675",
url="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/35156934"
}