Telehealth Interventions for Pediatric Obesity Management

Telehealth interventions for paediatric obesity management encompass a range of remote care strategies that aim to prevent and treat excess weight gain in children and adolescents. By harnessing videoconferencing, mobile applications, web platforms and connected devices such as wireless scales and activity trackers, clinicians and allied health professionals can deliver tailored dietary guidance, behavioural support and physical activity coaching without the need for in-person visits. These approaches expand access to specialist care in underserved or rural communities, reduce travel burdens and may improve family engagement through convenient, home-based sessions. Multidisciplinary teams—including dietitians, psychologists, paediatricians and exercise therapists—collaborate via secure digital channels to set goals, monitor progress and adapt treatment plans in real time. Early evidence suggests that telehealth models can achieve comparable reductions in weight indices to conventional care, while offering opportunities to refine cost-effectiveness, personalise feedback and integrate cultural or linguistic adaptations. As health systems seek to mitigate paediatric obesity on a global scale, telehealth represents a scalable and flexible component of comprehensive prevention and treatment pathways.

Research from Nature Portfolio

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Telehealth Interventions for Pediatric Obesity Management publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in telehealth interventions for pediatric obesity management across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Telehealth: The provision of health-care services at a distance using telecommunications technologies, including videoconferencing, remote monitoring and secure messaging.

mHealth: A subset of telehealth that leverages mobile devices—such as smartphones, tablets and wearable sensors—to deliver health information, track behaviours and facilitate interactive interventions.

BMI z-score: A standardised measure of relative weight adjusted for a child’s age and sex, expressed in standard deviation units above or below the mean of a reference population.

References

1. Pediatric Weight Management Through mHealth Compared to Face-to-Face Care: Cost Analysis of a Randomized Control Trial. JMIR mHealth and uHealth (2021).
2. Comparison of a Telehealth-Based Intensive Treatment Program with a Rewarding App vs. On-Site Care for Youth with Obesity: A Historical Cohort Study. Children (2023).
3. Digital Tools to Support Family-Based Weight Management for Children: Mixed Methods Pilot and Feasibility Study. JMIR Pediatrics and Parenting (2021).