Simple text messages could help tackle childhood obesity

You’ve heard of childhood obesity and probably know about the rising rates, health implications, and the urgent need to address this worsening problem. New research suggests that something as simple as a text message could make a huge difference in the battle against childhood obesity.

This idea was proposed by Dr. Eliana Perrin, Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of Primary Care at the Johns Hopkins University Schools of Medicine, Nursing and Public Health.

Dr. Perrin co-led a study that shows adding text messaging and digital feedback alongside traditional health counseling can help to prevent obesity in very young children. This, in turn, prevents life-long obesity-related problems.

Childhood obesity rates

About 1 in 5 school-aged children were affected by obesity in 2017–18, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

This is a rate that’s only increased during and since the pandemic. Solutions to reduce this rate heavily leaned on in-person interventions by pediatric providers. However, these interventions had limited success.

Enter the Greenlight Program, developed by Dr. Perrin and her colleagues. The goal of this intervention is to educate parents about healthy growth in their newborns.

Text messages to tackle obesity

“We found that parents are eager for more information to help their children grow up healthy, and the vast majority of parents own smartphones,” said Dr. Perrin, who is also a general pediatrician at the Harriet Lane Clinic at the Children’s Center.

The researchers recruited nearly 900 parent-infant pairs from newborn nurseries or pediatric primary care clinics across six medical institutions. All babies were 21 days old or younger, born after 34 weeks gestation, at a healthy weight, and with no chronic medical conditions that might affect weight gain.

The infant-parent pairs were randomly sorted into two groups. Both groups received Greenlight Program education, with counseling on healthy nutrition and behaviors from their primary care providers. Additionally, they received educational booklets matching the child’s age, with guidance and goal-setting tips.

However, half of the infant-parent pairs received personalized, interactive text messages from a fully automated system. This system provided immediate feedback, tips for addressing challenges, and encouragement based on progress.

Impact of the text messages

The study meticulously tracked the outcomes of sending text messages on childhood obesity up to the child’s second birthday. Researchers collected data on various health metrics, including childhood weight and growth patterns, to assess the program’s effectiveness.

Through innovative data collection methods, such as regular follow-ups and digital monitoring, they were able to capture a comprehensive picture of each child’s development.

The findings revealed a noticeable improvement in maintaining healthy growth trajectories among children who received the personalized text messages.

These results emphasize the powerful potential of integrating digital communication within traditional healthcare frameworks to combat childhood obesity.

Broader implications of the research

The success of this study on text-based obesity interventions opens avenues for future research and application in diverse settings, suggesting that similar approaches can be adapted for older children or other health conditions.

As the prevalence of smartphones continues to rise, leveraging digital technology offers an accessible and scalable solution for real-time health education and intervention.

This approach not only personalizes healthcare but also empowers parents with the tools they need to provide healthier environments for their children.

Digital victory of texts on obesity

There was a difference between the two groups. Children of parents who received the digital intervention had healthier weight-for-length growth curves over the first two years of life compared to those who had counseling only. The digital intervention also resulted in a 45% relative reduction in obesity.

The researchers concluded that the digital intervention led to healthier weight-for-length paths and decreased obesity incidences. They believe that these digital services were effective, especially in populations at the highest risk of obesity.

The “intervention effect” occurred as early as 4 months and continued throughout the two years. This study may be one of the first ever to prevent early childhood obesity, particularly in such a large and diverse group of participants.

“If we can prevent obesity in these children at greatest risk, we can also create better health equity in the future,” said Dr. Perrin. The researchers plan to follow the impacts of their project as the children grow up.

The research was supported by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute. Study data were collected and managed using REDCap electronic data capture tools hosted at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and supported by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences/National Institutes of Health.

The research is published in the journal JAMA.

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