Family-Based Digital Lifestyle Intervention for Hispanic Adolescents and Their Parents: Iterative Co-Design and...

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Digital Health Interventions
• Adolescent Health

Background:

• Hispanic youth face high pediatric obesity rates and low physical activity/dietary intake.
• Family-based interventions are culturally relevant for Hispanics due to familismo.
• Few existing interventions target Hispanic adolescents and parents for obesity prevention and lack widespread reach.

Purpose of the Study:

• Develop Healthy Juntos, a family-based intervention using web and smartphone technology.
• Prevent adolescent obesity by promoting healthy lifestyle behaviors (physical activity, diet).
• Address the gap in accessible, culturally relevant obesity prevention for Hispanic families.

Main Methods:

• Iterative co-design process using the Integrate, Design, Assess, and Share (IDEAS) framework.
• Involved Hispanic adolescents at risk for obesity and their parents (n=90 dyads).
• Conducted qualitative interviews and gathered feedback on intervention prototypes through multiple phases.

Main Results:

• Participants utilized technology minimally for health but desired interactive and social features.
• Adolescents and parents provided input on content, functionality, and aesthetics.
• A fully functional prototype of the Healthy Juntos digital lifestyle intervention was created.

Conclusions:

• The iterative co-design process was essential for refining the Healthy Juntos intervention.
• Next steps include evaluating feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effects via a pilot RCT.
• The developed intervention aims to be a scalable solution for adolescent obesity prevention in Hispanic families.