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Integrating technology-assisted behavioral management into a summer obesity prevention intervention program: a pilot
Qiaoyin Tan1, Paul Son1, Yuxin Nie1
1School of Kinesiology, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, United States.
Background:
Adolescents commonly experience weight gain during summer months due to less structured daily schedules.
Objectives:
The pilot study aimed to assess (1) acceptability of the AI-assisted ProudMe Tech mobile app integrated within an 8-week long health promotion summer intervention, (2) usage of three technology-assisted behavioral management components (i.e., mobile app, accelerometer and Fitbit-based activity monitoring), and (3) preliminary impact of this summer intervention on anthropometric, behavioral, and psychosocial outcomes among adolescents.
Methods:
Twenty-five participants (ages 11-14) were allocated to the intervention group (IG; n = 14, one withdrew after Week 1) or control group (CG; n = 12). IG attended a 10-day in-person camp (Monday-Friday for two weeks, 5 hours per camp day) consisting of physical education lessons, nutrition messaging, campus walks, and technology-assisted behavioral management. The campers completed an acceptability questionnaire twice during camp (once per week) and wore both Fitbit and ActiGraph accelerometers during camp hours. Out of the 2 weeks camp, participants continued using the ProudMe Tech mobile app and wearing Fitbit with parental engagement for 6 weeks. The CG attended a weekly virtual computer coding program over 8 weeks. Anthropometrics (i.e., weight, height, waist circumference), health behaviors (physical activity [PA], screen time, fruit/vegetable intake), health knowledge, and activity self-efficacy were measured at baseline and week 8 for all participants, while campers' anthropometrics were also measured at end of the camp (day 10).
Results:
The ProudMe Tech mobile app and intervention demonstrated modest acceptability, with total acceptability percentage scores increasing modestly from Week 1 to Week 2 (54.4 ± 21.8% to 58.3 ± 20.3%; Cohen's d = 0.43). Technology-use data showed that the digital components could be implemented during the structured camp period, although app engagement declined during the post-camp extension period. Campers averaged 121.3 min/day of accelerometer-assessed Moderate-to-Vigorous Physical Activity (MVPA) during the 10-day camp, and 851 mobile app entries were recorded across the 8-week intervention, although app engagement declined after the in-person camp period. Among participants with usable Fitbit data, Fitbit-recorded PA was higher on weekdays than weekends (166.2 vs. 135.6 min/day, p = .039). Secondary exploratory outcomes showed mixed and mostly non-significant patterns. The IG showed descriptively smaller weight gain and a more stable BMI pattern than the CG, but group × time interactions for anthropometric outcomes were not statistically significant. Campers' waist circumference decreased from baseline to the end of camp but rebounded by post-intervention. Self-reported health behaviors and psychosocial outcomes showed no significant group × time interaction effects.
Conclusions:
This pilot study showed that technology-assisted behavioral management had modest acceptability and usage, and the summer intervention made mixed impact on the campers' anthropometric, behavioral, and psychosocial outcomes. Larger future randomized trials are needed to evaluate the efficacy of technology-assisted summer adolescent obesity prevention interventions through longer camp exposure and greater parental engagement.
