Digital Tools to Support Family-Based Weight Management for Children: Mixed Methods Pilot and Feasibility Study.
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ABSTRACT: Background
Family-based behavioral therapy is an efficacious approach to deliver weight management counseling to children and their parents. However, most families do not have access to in-person, evidence-based treatment. We previously developed and tested DRIVE (Developing Relationships that Include Values of Eating and Exercise), a home-based parent training program to maintain body weight among children at risk for obesity, with the intent to eventually disseminate it nationally alongside SafeCare, a parent support program that focuses on parent-child interactions. Currently the DRIVE program has only been tested independently of SafeCare. This study created the "mHealth DRIVE" program by further adapting DRIVE to incorporate digital and mobile health tools, including remotely delivered sessions, a wireless scale that enabled a child-tailored weight graph, and a pedometer. Telehealth delivery via mHealth platforms and other digital tools can improve program cost-effectiveness, deliver long-term care, and directly support both families and care providers.Objective
The objective of this study was to examine preliminary acceptability and effectiveness of the mHealth DRIVE program among children and parents who received it and among SafeCare providers who potentially could deliver it.Methods
Study 1 was a 13-week pilot study of a remotely delivered mHealth family-based weight management program. Satisfaction surveys were administered, and height and weight were measured pre- and post-study. Study 2 was a feasibility/acceptability survey administered to SafeCare providers.Results
Parental and child satisfaction (mean of 4.9/6.0 and 3.8/5.0, respectively) were high, and children's (N=10) BMI z-scores significantly decreased (mean -0.14, SD 0.17; P=.025). Over 90% of SafeCare providers (N=74) indicated that SafeCare families would benefit from learning how to eat healthily and be more active, and 80% of providers reported that they and the families would benefit from digital tools to support child weight management.Conclusions
Pediatric mHealth weight management interventions show promise for effectiveness and acceptability by families and providers.Trial registration
Clinicaltrials.gov NCT03297541, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03297541.
SUBMITTER: Staiano AE
PROVIDER: S-EPMC7819774 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:BackgroundTreatment and prevention guidelines highlight the key role of health information and evidence-based psychosocial interventions for adolescent depression. Digital health technologies and psychoeducational interventions have been recommended to help engage young people and to provide accurate health information, enhance self-management skills, and promote social support. However, few digital psychoeducational interventions for adolescent depression have been robustly developed and evaluated in line with research guidance.ObjectiveWe aimed to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and potential impact of a theory-informed, co-designed digital intervention program, MoodHwb.MethodsWe used a mixed methods (quantitative and qualitative) approach to evaluate the program and the assessment process. Adolescents with or at elevated risk of depression and their parents and carers were recruited from mental health services, school counselors and nurses, and participants from a previous study. They completed a range of questionnaires before and after the program (related to the feasibility and acceptability of the program and evaluation process, and changes in mood, knowledge, attitudes, and behavior), and their Web usage was monitored. A subsample was also interviewed. A focus group was conducted with professionals from health, education, social, and youth services and charities. Interview and focus group transcripts were analyzed using thematic analysis with NVivo 10 (QSR International Pty Ltd).ResultsA total of 44 young people and 31 parents or carers were recruited, of which 36 (82%) young people and 21 (68%) parents or carers completed follow-up questionnaires. In all, 19 young people and 12 parents or carers were interviewed. Overall, 13 professionals from a range of disciplines participated in the focus group. The key themes from the interviews and groups related to the design features, sections and content, and integration and context of the program in the young person's life. Overall, the participants found the intervention engaging, clear, user-friendly, and comprehensive, and stated that it could be integrated into existing services. Young people found the "Self help" section and "Mood monitor" particularly helpful. The findings provided initial support for the intervention program theory, for example, depression literacy improved after using the intervention (difference in mean literacy score: 1.7, 95% CI 0.8 to 2.6; P<.001 for young people; 1.3, 95% CI 0.4 to 2.2; P=.006 for parents and carers).ConclusionsFindings from this early stage evaluation suggest that MoodHwb and the assessment process were feasible and acceptable, and that the intervention has the potential to be helpful for young people, families and carers as an early intervention program in health, education, social, and youth services and charities. A randomized controlled trial is needed to further evaluate the digital program.
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Project description:BackgroundDigital peer support is an increasingly used form of mental health support for young people. However, there is a need for more research on the impact of digital peer support and why it has an impact.ObjectiveThe aim of this research is to examine young people's experiences of using a digital peer support tool: MeeToo. After the time of writing, MeeToo has changed their name to Tellmi. MeeToo is an anonymous, fully moderated peer support tool for young people aged 11-25 years. There were two research questions: (1) What impacts did using MeeToo have on young people? (2) Why did using MeeToo have these impacts on young people?MethodsA mixed methods study was conducted. It involved secondary analysis of routinely collected feedback questionnaires, which were completed at two time points (T1 and T2) 2-3 months apart. Questionnaires asked about young people's (N=876) experience of using MeeToo, mental health empowerment, and well-being. Primary data were collected from semistructured interviews with 10 young people.ResultsOverall, 398 (45.4%) of 876 young people completed the T1 questionnaire, 559 (63.8%) completed the T2 questionnaire, and 81 (9.2%) completed both. Descriptive statistics from the cross-sectional analysis of the questionnaires identified a range of positive impacts of using MeeToo, which included making it easier to talk about difficult things, being part of a supportive community, providing new ways to help oneself, feeling better, and feeling less alone. Subgroup analysis (paired-sample t test) of 58 young females who had completed both T1 and T2 questionnaires showed a small but statistically significant increase in levels of patient activation, one of the subscales of the mental health empowerment scale: time 1 mean=1.83 (95% CI 1.72-1.95), time 2 mean=2.00 (95% CI 1.89-2.11), t59=2.15, and P=.04. Anonymity and the MeeToo sense of community were identified from interviews as possible reasons for why using MeeToo had these impacts. Anonymity helped to create a safe space in which users could express their feelings, thoughts, and experiences freely without the fear of being judged by others. The MeeToo sense of community was described as a valuable form of social connectedness, which in turn had a positive impact on young people's mental health and made them feel less isolated and alone.ConclusionsThe findings of this research showed a range of positive impacts and possible processes for young people using MeeToo. Future research is needed to examine how these impacts and processes can be sustained.
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Project description:BackgroundA pressing need exists to understand and optimize the use of dietary assessment tools that can be used in community-based participatory research (CBPR) interventions. A digital food record, which uses a mobile device to capture the dietary intake through text and photography inputs, is a particularly promising mobile assessment method. However, little is understood about the acceptability and feasibility of digital food records in CBPR and how to best tailor dietary assessment tools to the needs of a community.ObjectiveThe objective of our study was to evaluate the acceptability and feasibility of digital food records among church-based populations in resource-limited wards of Washington, DC, USA, using a mixed-methods approach.MethodsThis community-based pilot study was conducted as part of the Washington, DC Cardiovascular Health and Needs Assessment. Participants (n=17) received a mobile device (iPod Touch) to photodocument their dietary intake for a 3-day digital food record using a mobile app, FitNinja (Vibrent Health). The acceptability of the digital food record was explored through the thematic analysis of verbatim transcripts from a moderated focus group (n=8). In addition, the feasibility was evaluated by the percentage of participants complying with instructions (ie, capturing both before and after meal photos for at least 2 meals/day for 3 days).ResultsQualitative themes identified were related to (1) the feasibility and acceptability of the mobile device and app, including issues in recording the dietary information and difficulty with photodocumentation; (2) suggestions for additional support and training experiences; and (3) comparisons with other mobile apps. Overall, the participants accepted the digital food record by demonstrating satisfaction with the tool and intent to continue the use (eg, participants recorded an average of 5.2, SD 7, consecutive days). Furthermore, of the 17 participants, 15 photodocumented at least 1 meal during the study period and 3 fully complied with the digital food record instructions.ConclusionsThis study demonstrated digital food records as an acceptable tool in CBPR and identified contributors and barriers to the feasibility of digital food records for future research. Engaging community members in the implementation of novel assessment methods allows for the tailoring of technology to the needs of the community and optimizing community-based interventions.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT01927783; https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01927783 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/70WzaFWb6).
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Project description:BACKGROUND:Mobile interventions hold promise as an intervention modality to engage children in improving diabetes self-management education, attitudes, and behaviors. OBJECTIVE:This pilot study aimed to explore the usability, acceptability, and feasibility of delivering a mobile diabetes educational tool to parent-child pairs in a clinical setting. METHODS:This mixed methods pilot study comprised two concurrent phases with differing study participants. Phase 1 used user testing interviews to collect qualitative data on the usability and acceptability of the tool. Phase 2 used a single-arm pre- and poststudy design to quantitatively evaluate the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of the intervention. Study participants (English-speaking families with youth aged 5-14 years with insulin-dependent diabetes) were recruited from an urban hospital in Massachusetts, United States. In phase 1, parent-child pairs were invited to complete the intervention together and participate in 90-min user testing interviews assessing the tool's usability and acceptability. Interview transcripts were analyzed using a directed content analysis approach. In phase 2, parent-child pairs were invited to complete the intervention together in the clinical setting. Measures included parental and child knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors related to diabetes management (self-report surveys) and child hemoglobin A1c levels (medical record extractions); data were collected at baseline and 1-month follow-up. Pre- and postoutcomes were compared using paired t tests and the Fisher exact test. RESULTS:A total of 11 parent-child pairs (N=22) participated in phase 1 of the study, and 10 parent-child pairs (N=20) participated in phase 2 of the study. Participants viewed the mobile educational tool as acceptable (high engagement and satisfaction with the layout, activities, and videos) and identified the areas of improvement for tool usability (duration, directions, and animation). CONCLUSIONS:The findings from this pilot study suggest that the mobile educational tool is an informative, engaging, and feasible way to deliver diabetes self-management education to parents and children in an urban hospital setting. Data will inform future iterations of this mobile diabetes educational intervention to improve usability and test intervention efficacy.
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Project description:BackgroundiSupport is an online program developed by the World Health Organization to provide education, skills training, and social support to informal carers of persons with dementia. This pilot study examines the feasibility of the protocol for a main effectiveness trial of iSupport-Portugal and explores how the intervention and control arms compare over time on well-being outcomes.MethodsA mixed-methods experimental parallel between-group design with two arms is followed. Participants were recruited nationwide, by referral or advertising, through the National Alzheimer's Association. Inclusion criteria are being Portuguese adults, providing e-consent, providing unpaid care to someone with dementia for at least 6 months, experiencing relevant scores on burden (≥ 21 on ZBI) or depression or anxiety (≥ 8 on HADS), and using webpages autonomously. Participants were consecutively randomized to receive iSupport-Portugal or an education-only e-book and were not blinded to group assignment. Data were collected online with self-administered instruments, at baseline, 3 and 6 months after. Outcomes comprise caregiver burden, depression, anxiety, QoL, positive aspects of caregiving, and self-efficacy. Generalized estimating equations were used to estimate group, time, and group-by-time effects. Intervention engagement data were extracted from iSupport's platform. Semi-structured interviews were conducted.ResultsForty-two participants were allocated to the intervention (N = 21) and control (N = 21) arms. Participation (78.1%) and retention rates (73.8%) were fair. More carers in the control arm completed the study (N = 20, 95.2%) than in the intervention arm (N = 11; 52.4%) (χ2 = 9.98, p = .002). Non-completers were younger, spent less time caring, and scored higher on anxiety. Among carers in the intervention arm, the average attendance rate was of 53.7%. At post-test 38.9% of participants still used iSupport; the remainder participants interrupted use within 2 weeks (Mdn). For per-protocol analyses, significant group-by-time interaction effects favouring the intervention were found for anxiety (Wald χ2 = 6.17, p = .046) and for environmental QoL (Wald χ2 = 7.06, p = .029). Those effects were not observed in intention-to-treat analyses adjusted for age. Interviewees from the intervention arm (N = 12) reported positive results of iSupport on knowledge and on experiencing positive feelings. No adverse effects were reported.ConclusionsThis study provides information for a forthcoming full-scale effectiveness trial, as on the acceptability and potential results of iSupport-Portugal. iSupport is suggested as a relevant resource for Portuguese carers.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04104568 . 26/09/2019.
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