Limited Efficacy Of An Intensive Online Lifestyle Intervention On Hispanic Adolescents

Childhood obesity is a growing public health concern in the United States, with Hispanic children experiencing high obesity rates. mHealth technology, with its cost-effective delivery, shows promise in enhancing healthy behaviors and improving health outcomes among Hispanic adolescents. PURPOSE: This study examined the limited efficacy of the 12-week-long intensive online lifestyle intervention on body composition and health-related fitness in Hispanic adolescents. METHODS: Fifteen pediatrician-referred participants were randomly assigned either to the experimental (EX; 12-week online intervention that included 24 hours of moderate-to-vigorous intensity exercise and six hours of family nutrition education; N = 7, Mage 13.43 ± 2.07, boys 4, girls 3) or control (CTR; as usual; N = 8, Mage 12.5 ± 1.41, boys 5, girls 3) groups. Participants’ height, weight, cardiovascular endurance, and muscular strength/endurance were assessed on Weeks 0 and 13. One-way analysis of covariance were conducted to evaluate the intervention efficacy. RESULTS: The baseline body mass index (BMI) and standardized BMI (BMIz) were 32.68(9.38) and 2.10(0.73) for the EX and 34.53(8.52) and 2.38(0.32) for the CTR. The analyses showed a statistically significant time x group interaction in BMIz (F[1,12] = 135.70, p < .001, ηp2 = .61; ΔEX = -0.13[0.13)] ΔCTR =0.01[0.04]), cardiovascular endurance (PACER: F[1,12] = 7.81, p = 0.02, ηp2 = .39; ΔEX =12.71[19.22]; ΔCTR = -0.13[2.00]), and muscular strength/endurance (push-ups: F[1,12] = 7.23, p = .02, ηp2 = .38; ΔEX =1.71[6.29]; ΔCTR =0.25[0.71], sit-ups: F[1,12] = 14.19, p = .003, ηp2 = .54; ΔEX =18.14[11.08]; ΔCTR =0.13[1.13]). Further, post hoc sensitivity analyses suggested that the F-value of 4.67 would yield the minimum statistically significant effect at the level of p = .05. CONCLUSION: Findings indicated that the intensive online lifestyle intervention was effective in enhancing body composition and fitness levels in Hispanic adolescents. Our study provides novel insights into the feasibility and effectiveness of lifestyle interventions including actual physical activity, instead of physical activity recommendation, to treat obesity in Hispanic adolescents.