Improving remote lifestyle intervention studies in children: Participant and caregiver feedback of the smart heart...

We sought to describe and analyze the quantitative and qualitative feedback obtained from participants and their caregivers of the Smart Heart study, a successful 12-month lifestyle intervention for children with overweight or obesity and congenital heart disease that provided remote lifestyle counseling, to improve future lifestyle interventions in children.

Thirty-six participants and caregivers were polled using a standard program evaluation questionnaire at the end of the intervention. Feedback was compiled into themes, and facilitators and barriers to program success were identified.

There was a high level of satisfaction with the intervention and staff interactions as well as a low perceived burden of participation. There were also specific concerns, including mixed impressions regarding technology usage and a less impressive indication of actual impactful behavior change.

The study identified five themes, and corresponding facilitators and barriers to participant compliance, from the Smart Heart intervention feedback and offered suggestions for improving future lifestyle behavioral intervention study designs in children.

Remote smartphone counseling is effective and efficient. It is recommended that the counseling messages are specific, the counseling schedule is patient-centric, patient burden is limited, methods with immediate patient feedback are used and family is included when feasible.