Digital technologies for weight loss in adolescents with obesity or overweight: a systematic review and meta-analysis
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.34117/bjdv12n6-004Keywords:
adolescents, obesity, overweight, digital health, mobile health, systematic review, meta-analysisAbstract
Background: The increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity among adolescents has prompted the development of digital health strategies to support weight management. However, the effectiveness of digital technology–based interventions in this population remains uncertain. Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of digital health technology interventions for weight reduction in adolescents with overweight or obesity. Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted by searching PubMed, PsycINFO, Web of Science, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library for studies investigating digital technology–based interventions aimed at weight reduction in adolescents. Pooled effect sizes were calculated using the standardized mean difference (SMD) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results: Eight studies involving 823 adolescents were included. Follow-up periods ranged from 3 months to 1 year. Most interventions were based on mobile phone applications targeting body mass index (BMI) outcomes. Digital interventions were associated with a reduction in BMI percentile (SMD = −1.12; 95% CI: −2.22 to −0.02; p = 0.05). However, no significant effect was observed for BMI z-score (SMD = −0.59; 95% CI: −1.34 to 0.16; p = 0.12). The overall risk of bias ranged from unclear to high, and substantial heterogeneity was identified across studies. Conclusions: Digital health interventions may contribute to reductions in BMI percentile among adolescents with overweight or obesity, although effects on BMI z-scores were not statistically significant. Given the high heterogeneity and methodological limitations of included studies, further well-designed trials with larger sample sizes and strategies to enhance adolescent motivation and engagement are warranted.
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