TeenPower: e-Empowering Teenagers to Prevent Obesity (TeenPower)

Transdisciplinary practice-based action research project that aims to develop innovative cognitive-behavioral interventions to empower adolescents, through increased and interactive contact between adolescent and multidisciplinary healthcare team. Project born from the discussion with trans-territorial stakeholders (health professionals and school communities), in the absence of an integrated, creative and dynamic strategy of overweight prevention and promotion of salutogenic behaviors in adolescents.

The polytechnics of Leiria, Santarém and Castelo Branco are co-promotors of this project, as well as Município de Leiria (City Council), key partners in the development and implementation of the intervention program. It is expected the partnership with ARS-Centro.

The main goal is the development, implementation and evaluation of a program for the promotion of healthy behaviors and prevention of obesity in adolescence, based on e-therapy and sustained by the case management methodology.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Adolescent Obesity; Empowerment; ICT
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Structured school based intervention; Device: mobile app usage

Detailed Description

Transdisciplinary practice-based action research project that aims to develop innovative interventions to promote healthy behaviors. Project called from a territorial issue, identified and discussed with local stakeholders (health professionals and school community), in the absence of an integrated, creative and dynamic strategy of overweight prevention and promotion of salutogenic behaviors in adolescents.

Adolescent obesity has reached epidemic proportions, being urgent to find effective prevention strategies and adequate resources that induce change at the individual, family and community level. The core components of classic prevention programs have been unable to obtain the desired adherence. The solution may involve a more extensive and frequent contact with the healthcare team and the use of alternative communication channels and interacting/dynamic technologies with adolescents.

Given the research team's experience in developing innovative products and healthcare technological solutions, this need was faced as an opportunity to network and explore synergies between territorial partners. The polytechnics of Leiria (IPL), Santarém (IPS) and Castelo Branco (IPCB) are co-promotors of this project, as well as the Município de Leiria (City Council). It is also expected the partnership with the local primary healthcare stakeholders (Administração Regional de Saúde do Centro: ARS-C), key partners in the development phase and in the implementation of the intervention program. An agile product development process will be adopted, an iterative and incremental approach for planning and implementing, in an intense and permanent dialogue with healthcare professionals, and adolescents throughout the platform and the mobile app development process.

The main goal is the development, implementation and evaluation of a program for the promotion of healthy behaviors and prevention of obesity in adolescence, based on e-therapy and sustained by the case management methodology. The project is directed to the cognitive-behavioral empowerment of adolescents, through increased and interactive contact between adolescents and multidisciplinary healthcare team. The use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in the intervention can optimize resources and maximize impact, as a complement to conventional approaches, The project includes the development of three complementary studies: (S1) evaluation of adolescents' health status and cognitive-behavioral indicators, (S2) usability evaluation of the TeenPower platform and mobile app (S3) implementation and adherence evaluation to the TeenPower intervention program.

The positive evaluation of the intervention program will stimulate the inclusion of ICT in the promotion of salutogenic behaviors and overweight prevention, creating technological interfaces that will allow customizing the intervention parameters and facilitating the monitoring and tracking.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 360
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Portugal
  • Leiria, Portugal
    • Instituto Politécnico de Leiria

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 12 years to 16 years (CHILD)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• school groups of Leiria, Santarém and Castelo Branco, aged between 12 and 16, with easy access to internet and smartphone/tablet

Exclusion Criteria:

• language or cognitive limitations

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: PREVENTION
• Allocation: NON_RANDOMIZED
• Interventional Model: PARALLEL
• Masking: SINGLE

Number of Arms

3

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
EXPERIMENTAL: Experimental Group A; Structured school based intervention + mobile app usage	Behavioral: Structured school based intervention; Intervention includes behavioral, nutritional and physical activity counselling (online and face-to-face psycho-educative sessions).; Device: mobile app usage; The e-therapeutic platform and mobile app (TeenPower) includes educational resources, self-monitoring, social support, interactive training modules and motivational tools. In addition to the case manager, the program will also have the direct support of an interdisciplinary team (nurse, nutritionist, exercise physiologist, psychologist among others).
EXPERIMENTAL: Experimental Group B; mobile app usage	Device: mobile app usage; The e-therapeutic platform and mobile app (TeenPower) includes educational resources, self-monitoring, social support, interactive training modules and motivational tools. In addition to the case manager, the program will also have the direct support of an interdisciplinary team (nurse, nutritionist, exercise physiologist, psychologist among others).
ACTIVE_COMPARATOR: Control Group; Structured school based intervention	Behavioral: Structured school based intervention; Intervention includes behavioral, nutritional and physical activity counselling (online and face-to-face psycho-educative sessions).

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change from baseline BMI at 3 months	Body Mass Index	Month 3
Change from baseline Physical activity at 3 months	Questionnaire "Quantification de l'Activité Physique en Altitude Chez les Enfants"	Month 3
Change from baseline Nutrition at 3 months	Questionnaire on adolescent food choices	Month 3
Change from baseline Adolescent Lifestyle at 3 months	Adolescent Lifestyle Profile Questionnaire	Month 3
App usability	usability questionnaire	Month 3
User experience	User experience questionnaire	Month 3

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Instituto Politécnico de Leiria
• Collaborators: Instituto Politécnico de Castelo Branco; Instituto Politécnico de Santarém; Município de Leiria

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (ACTUAL): September 1, 2018
• Primary Completion (ACTUAL): December 31, 2018
• Study Completion (ACTUAL): February 28, 2019

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 14, 2018
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 23, 2018
• First Posted (ACTUAL): May 4, 2018

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (ACTUAL): February 17, 2020
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 13, 2020
• Last Verified: February 1, 2020

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Overnutrition; Nutrition Disorders; Overweight; Body Weight; Obesity; Pediatric Obesity
• Other Study ID Numbers: POCI-01-0145-FEDER-23557

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No