Development of a mindfulness-based pediatric weight management intervention for adolescents: findings from a pilot trial adapted for telehealth delivery

ABSTRACT

This study describes the development, feasibility, and acceptability of a novel group Mindfulness-Based Pediatric Weight Management (MBPWM) intervention for adolescents with overweight/obesity (OW/OB), tailored for telehealth delivery (via videoconferencing). A pilot trial of MBPWM was conducted across two cohorts of socioeconomically diverse adolescents (N = 14) with OW/OB. Cohort one received the intervention in-person, and cohort two received the intervention virtually (synchronous videoconferencing). Feasibility and acceptability were supported by session attendance, completion of daily food and mindfulness logs, and post-intervention feedback. Adolescent percent over the 95^th percentile BMI based on age-and-sex (%BMIp₉₅) decreased pre- to post-treatment, trending toward significance. No differences between cohorts one and two were observed on outcomes. While the number of participants was small, the overall pattern of findings provides initial support for feasibility and acceptability.

Acknowledgments

Karen Bluth Ph.D., Whitney Evans Ph.D., Miranda Frank M.A., Kara Hultstrand M.A., Clarissa Shields Ph.D., Andrew Taylor Shaut B.A., and the adolescents and families who participated in this study.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Authors’ contributions

1. Study conception and design: AFS, DMF, SMM, EJ

2. Data collection and analysis: AFS, CEW

3. Interpretation of results: AFS, CEW, DMF, SMM, EJ

4. Draft manuscript preparation: AFS, CEW, DMF, SMM, EJ

Clinical trial registration

NCT04038684

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, R21HD095099 to PI Sato.