Adolescent obesity in the digital age: navigating risks and opportunities

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Digital Health
• Adolescent Health

Background:

• Global adolescent obesity rates are increasing, influenced by commercial and structural determinants.
• Digital technologies present opportunities for obesity prevention but current interventions are often ineffective.
• Existing digital health interventions lack integration with adolescents' lives and focus narrowly on weight.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review digital health interventions for adolescent obesity prevention from a nutrition and food systems perspective.
• To identify key challenges and opportunities in designing, implementing, and evaluating these interventions.
• To propose a framework for more effective digital health strategies.

Main Methods:

• Narrative review of existing literature on digital health interventions for adolescent obesity.
• Analysis of intervention design, implementation, and evaluation strategies.
• Focus on nutrition and food systems, commercial/algorithmic pressures, co-creation, and health system integration.

Main Results:

• Current digital interventions are often narrowly focused, weight-centric, and poorly integrated.
• Commercial and algorithmic pressures in digital environments pose challenges.
• Meaningful co-creation with adolescents and health system embedding are vital for success.

Conclusions:

• Digital interventions must be co-created with adolescents and integrated into broader health systems.
• Evaluation metrics should extend beyond weight to include engagement, wellbeing, and determinants of health.
• Future interventions need frameworks reflecting adolescents' lived experiences for greater impact.