Publication date: Dec 01, 2025
Childhood obesity is a growing global health crisis, driven by poor diet, reduced physical activity, and psychosocial distress. The COVID-19 pandemic amplified these factors, contributing to rising BMI and impaired health-related quality of life (HrQoL). Telehealth offers a promising, scalable modality to deliver multimodal obesity care. This study evaluated the long-term effectiveness of a structured pediatric telehealth intervention compared to historical in-person treatment. This retrospective cohort study analyzed data from 237 children and adolescents with obesity treated at a single academic center. Between 2020 and 2022, 117 participants received a 12-month structured lifestyle intervention via telehealth. A historical cohort (n = 120; 2017-2019) received the same intervention in person. Clinical outcomes were assessed at baseline and after 12 months; the telehealth group was additionally followed up at 24 and 36 months. Primary outcome was change in BMI standard deviation score (BMI SDS). Secondary outcomes included physical fitness (6-min walk test), insulin resistance (HOMA index), lipid profile, dietary behavior (K-FFL), eating regulation (K-FEV), and HrQoL (KINDL-R). Both groups achieved significant reductions in BMI SDS after 12 months, with sustained improvements in the telehealth group through 36 months (Δ = -0. 18; p
| Concepts | Keywords |
|---|---|
| Academic | Adolescent obesity |
| Dietary | Dietary behavior |
| Obesity | Pediatric obesity |
| Pediatric | Telehealth intervention |
| Weight management |
Semantics
| Type | Source | Name |
|---|---|---|
| disease | MESH | obesity |
| disease | MESH | Childhood obesity |
| disease | MESH | COVID-19 pandemic |
| disease | IDO | quality |
| disease | IDO | intervention |
| disease | MESH | lifestyle |
| drug | DRUGBANK | Sodium lauryl sulfate |
| disease | MESH | insulin resistance |
| pathway | KEGG | Insulin resistance |