Improving BMI in Children While Utilizing Pediatric Provider Guided Telemedicine: A Pilot Study

Abstract

Background: Childhood obesity is dramatically on the rise throughout the world. Screening and prevention are ideal, but treatment becomes necessary when a child’s body mass index (BMI) is 95% and greater. Obesity related illness leads to premature death. Local Problem: The current practice at the clinical site for this project is to send the child for lab work and follow up in three months after implementing lifestyle changes, including diet and exercise. Follow-up visits, often canceled or forgotten, contribute to a lack of evaluation and not being seen until the next annual well visit. Methods: The measurable outcomes are the pre and post BMI measurements. A paired t-test was used for data analysis. Compliance with the program was determined by the dietary logs. Interventions: The childhood obesity project was a self-management project, incorporating weekly telemedicine visits with a pediatric provider. The child’s progress was documented via the dietary log and addressed weekly with the provider. Results: There were five participants at the completion of the program. The BMI levels of the pre-intervention period ( M = 21.06, SD = 2.86563) and the post-intervention period ( M = 20.9, SD = 3.13688) indicated that there was not a significant change in participant BMI as a result of the eight-week intervention period, t(4) = 0.436, p = 0.685. Conclusions: This program is feasible and can be utilized by other families and providers in futures studies. The availability of telemedicine is convenient for busy families. Further studies are recommended with a larger sample size and a longer implementation period to recognize improved change.