Child-obesity study takes high-tech twist

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.— Freshmen at Lakewood High School lined up against gold and black gymnasium mats on Friday to have their height and weight measured, an assessment needed to launch a novel study on fighting teenage obesity with trendy technology.

Researchers with Johns Hopkins Medicine, whose network includes a Florida children’s hospital near the school, plan to use results of the screening to select about 50 overweight students and track their activity levels using the Fitbit, a connected wristband.

“It’s cool. You can wear it and it measures your activity,” said Dr. Raquel Hernandez, lead researcher and an assistant professor of pediatrics at John Hopkins Medical School, who works at All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg.

Students will synch their wristbands to MyFitnessPal, an app that also can track their daily diet. Researchers are using Fitbit tracking to examine sleep patterns as well.

When a youngster’s activity level drops, researchers can send a cellphone text or Twitter message, with real-time tips on a healthy excursion or snack.

Funded by a $100,000 grant from insurer Florida Blue, the program eliminates the need to talk teenagers into trekking to the doctor’s office.

“We are coming right to where they are,” said program coordinator Janelle Garcia, a health educator who hopes to expand the concept nationally. “The goal is to test the feasibility.”

The focus is not on weight loss but teaching healthy habits at a critical age. Obese adolescents are much more likely to become obese adults, and they run the health risks of developing diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular disease.

Students will meet with nutrition counselors and fitness experts twice a week, as well as attend after-school sessions with a psychologist focused on behavioral change.

Such counseling is key, said Corby Martin, an associate professor at Louisiana State University’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center. Simply wearing a fitness wristband doesn’t guarantee that adults will shed pounds, research has shown.