Childhood obesity is potentially associated with some complications that include insulin resistance, glucose intolerance, diabetes mellitus, fatty liver disease, dyslipidemia, hypertension, metabolic syndrome, sleep apnea, depression.
Published in Chapter:
Management of Obese Pediatric Patients in the Digital Era
Elpis Vlachopapadopoulou (Children's Hospital “P. & A. Kyriakou”, Greece), Eleni I. Georga (University of Ioannina, Greece), and
Dimitrios I. Fotiadis (University of Ioannina, Greece )
Copyright: © 2019
|Pages: 26
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-5225-8021-8.ch004
Abstract
In this chapter, state of the art in mHealth solutions for monitoring and treatment of children suffering from obesity is presented and discussed. mHealth solutions are used for self-management, remote monitoring, and counseling of several chronic conditions including diabetes mellitus, heart failure, Parkinson's disease, etc. Concerning childhood obesity, those solutions can combine targeted games and motivational approaches towards both physical activity and diet, which could help in addressing this serious and global health issue in the direction of minimizing co-morbidities and eventually preventing serious, life-threatening events. Management of obese children requires behavior change. Multi-component intervention programs via a mobile platform can play a significant role in weight control during childhood and adolescence. In continuation of the chapter, the authors report on the newest advances in the field of digital health interventions addressing childhood obesity.