Implementation and Utilization of Mobile Technology In Adolescent Bariatric Surgery Patients

Abstract

Obesity is the most prevalent chronic disease of childhood. Obese adolescents are likely to become obese adults with significant associated co-morbidities and early mortality. In Massachusetts, 30% of children ages 10-17 are overweight or obese. It is projected that 48% of Massachusetts’ adults will be obese by 2030. In March of 2015, the Good Fit Adolescent Weight and Wellness Center opened, with a goal of addressing this issue with a proven multidisciplinary approach. Mobile technology continues to develop at a rapid pace. Adolescent access to mobile technology on smart phones and tablets continues to increase. Mobile fitness tracker applications are numerous and easy to use for today’s tech savvy teens. Successful weight loss and health maintenance is variable and has been difficult to validate with this technology so far. The purpose of this study is to evaluate existing mobile applications to be used by adolescent patients in the Good Fit Center. Our aim is to determine whether adolescent patients will be compliant with diet and exercise challenges sent through a mobile application and social media platform. We will work closely with dietitians, physicians and surgeons to evaluate feasibility and compliance within the first year of this project. In the second year, we will then test the functionality of this mobile application as it relates to patient success in the Good Fit program. The proposed research is a novel multimodal study combining behavioral sciences research, clinical outcomes research, and mobile technology to help to better understand the fitness management of adolescents struggling with morbid obesity. The findings of our research may have a number of important implications. These include the refinement of existing fitness strategies, as well as the development of a new useful piece of technology to combat obesity and improve the health and clinical outcomes of our nation’s children.