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Treating rural paediatric obesity through telemedicine vs. telephone: Outcomes from a cluster randomized controlled
Ann M Davis1, Marilyn Sampilo2, Katherine Steiger Gallagher3
1University of Kansas Medical Center, Department of Pediatrics, USA Center for Children's Healthy Lifestyles & Nutrition, USA adavis6@kumc.edu.
Insights
Telemedicine and telephone interventions are feasible for treating pediatric obesity in rural families. Both methods showed high satisfaction and retention, with no significant differences in outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Behavioral Science
- Health Services Research
Background:
- Paediatric obesity is a significant public health concern, particularly in rural areas.
- Access to multidisciplinary interventions can be challenging for rural families.
- Telehealth modalities offer potential solutions for delivering healthcare services remotely.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the feasibility of telemedicine versus telephone delivery for a family-based behavioral group intervention for pediatric obesity.
- To compare participant satisfaction, attendance, and retention rates between telemedicine and telephone groups.
- To evaluate treatment outcomes in rural children with obesity using both delivery methods.
Main Methods:
- A randomized controlled trial was conducted with 103 rural children and their families.
- Feasibility was measured by participant satisfaction, session attendance, and retention.
- Outcomes included Body Mass Index z-score (BMIz), parent BMI, dietary intake, physical activity, and behavioral assessments.
Main Results:
- High participant satisfaction was reported for both telemedicine and telephone interventions.
- Completion rates exceeded those of other pediatric obesity programs, indicating high feasibility.
- No significant differences in primary outcomes were observed between the telemedicine and telephone groups.
Conclusions:
- Both telemedicine and telephone interventions are feasible and acceptable for delivering pediatric obesity treatment to rural populations.
- These remote delivery methods can effectively reach underserved rural families.
- Further research can explore long-term outcomes and cost-effectiveness.
Objective:
The objective of the current study was to examine the feasibility of telemedicine vs. telephone for the delivery of a multidisciplinary weekly family-based behavioural group intervention to treat paediatric obesity delivered to families living in rural areas using a randomized controlled trial methodology.
Methods:
103 rural children and their families were recruited. Feasibility measures included participant satisfaction, session attendance and retention. Treatment outcome measures included child Body Mass Index z-score (BMIz), parent BMI, 24-hour dietary recalls, accelerometer data, the child behavior checklist and the behavioral pediatrics feeding assessment scale.
Results:
Participants were highly satisfied with the intervention both via telemedicine and via telephone. Completion rates were much higher than for other paediatric obesity intervention programmes, and both methodologies were highly feasible. There were no differences in telemedicine and telephone groups on primary outcomes.
Conclusion:
Both telemedicine and telephone intervention appear to be feasible and acceptable methods of delivering paediatric obesity treatment to rural children.
