We’ve discussed before how e-health and telehealth can be effectively used to combat childhood obesity in conjunction with other interventions. This week, in the news, there were two studies that seemed of interest. One was an Australian study involving kids ages 7-13 and dealt with e-health (electronic health) intervention, and another looked at the connection between social media use and binge eating behaviors in adolescents.
The purpose of the e-health study
E-health interventions have the potential to enhance the effectiveness of traditional, in-person treatments for childhood obesity. This study assessed the impact of a 10-week, web-based healthy lifestyle program designed for school-aged children with overweight or obesity. The results were published in BMC Public Health this week.
Methods of the study
This randomized controlled trial (RCT) involved families with children aged 7–13 years, living in Victoria, Australia, who had a body mass index (BMI) at or above the 85th percentile (indicating overweight or obesity). Families were randomly assigned to either the intervention group or a waitlist control group and participated in the 10-week web-based program. The primary outcome was the change in the children’s BMI scores over the 10 weeks. Secondary outcomes included changes in waist circumference, dietary habits, physical activity, and quality of life over the same period.
In the intervention group, families accessed weekly modules on a secure website, covering topics such as healthy eating, physical activity, and family-centered behavior changes. Each week, families had phone sessions with a health professional coach (e.g., dietitians, nutritionists, or exercise physiologists), during which they discussed the week’s content and confirmed the completion of activities. The program also included interactive elements like online quizzes and goal-setting exercises to help families implement lifestyle changes.
The study results
Out of 148 children (125 families) recruited, 102 children (85 families) completed the trial. The intervention group showed a significant reduction in BMI scores compared to the control group after 10 weeks. The web-based program also led to improvements in children’s quality of life and lifestyle behaviors. In the intervention group, there were significant improvements in quality of life scores, overall diet quality, and daily physical activity levels compared to the control group.
Why it matters
A web-based healthy lifestyle program was effective in improving short-term health outcomes for children with overweight or obesity. Future research should focus on identifying factors that contribute to the program’s effectiveness, assessing its long-term impact, and ensuring the program is adapted to meet the needs of diverse populations.
Social media’s impact on binge eating, a study
Dr. Susan Carnell, an associate professor in the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, recently spoke about her research on the connection between social media use and binge eating behaviors in adolescents. Carnell is a co-author of the study, “Concurrent and prospective associations of social media usage with binge eating symptoms in early adolescence,” published in Obesity and highlighted this week in Contemporary Pediatrics. The article included an interview with Dr. Carnell conducted by the article’s author, Joshua Fitch, Senior Editor of Contemporary Pediatrics.
Dr. Carnell and her team wanted to investigate how social media might influence eating disorders, particularly by examining the role of social comparison and certain content that could lead to body dissatisfaction. The study used data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study, a large, ongoing project that tracks children across 21 sites in the U.S.
Dr. Carnell said:
The study began by recruiting children around 9 to 10 years old, and we’ve been following them ever since… This allowed us to analyze the relationship between social media use, how much time kids spent on it, and whether they exhibited addictive behaviors related to social media.
Carnell observed that social media use increased with age:
At ages 11 to 12, kids spent an average of about an hour per day on social media, and by adolescence, that rose to over two hours… For those who developed persistent binge eating, however, social media use went up to more than three hours a day.
Interestingly, the study found a key difference. To quote Dr. Carnell one more time,
We didn’t find that simply spending more time on social media was linked to binge eating. However, adolescents who showed high levels of addictive behaviors around social media at the start of the study were about 3.5 times more likely to develop binge eating by ages 14 to 15.
Carnell’s research underscores the importance of addressing addictive social media behaviors to help reduce the risk of eating disorders in adolescents. While the amount of time spent on social media isn’t inherently harmful, compulsive and addictive patterns of use can increase the likelihood of disordered eating behaviors.
Your responses and feedback are welcome!
Source: “The effectiveness of a 10-week family-focused e-Health healthy lifestyle program for school-aged children with overweight or obesity: a randomised control trial,” BMC Public Health, 1/7/25
Source: “Social media use and binge eating in early adolescence,” Contemporary Pediatrics, 1/6/25
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