Trial reportBMC pediatrics2021
Effectiveness of mobile application on changing weight, healthy eating habits, and quality of life in children and adolescents with obesity: a randomized controlled trial.
Trial report in BMC pediatrics, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 27 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
27 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 36 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effects of Teleintervention Maintenance Programs for Children (Age 6-12) and Adolescents (Age 13-18) With Overweight or Obesity-Promoting a Healthy Lifestyle: A Systematic Review.Pediatric obesity · 2026Pooled it
- The inclusion and impact of digital determinants of health in digital nutrition interventions for adolescents: a systematic review.Health promotion international · 2025Pooled it
- Digital health, technology-driven or technology-assisted interventions for the management of obesity in children and adolescents.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2025Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Effectiveness of mHealth App-Based Interventions for Increasing Physical Activity and Improving Physical Fitness in Children and Adolescents: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2024Pooled it
- The impact of smartphone app-based interventions on adolescents' dietary intake: a systematic review and evaluation of equity factor reporting in intervention studies.Nutrition reviews · 2024Pooled it
- Effectiveness of multiple eHealth-delivered lifestyle strategies for preventing or intervening overweight/obesity among children and adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2022Pooled it
- The ALINFA Intervention Improves Diet Quality and Nutritional Status in Children 6 to 12 Years Old.Nutrients · 2023Trial
- Factors Influencing Adherence to Digital Lifestyle Interventions for Adolescents: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Attrition.Interactive journal of medical research · 2026Review
- Influence of Maturity Status and Gender on Body Composition and Physical Fitness Adaptations to a Mobile-App-Based Physical Activity Intervention in Adolescents.Sports (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- A comprehensive mobile nutritional application is associated with improved time efficiency and user experience in managing hospitalized children with malnutrition.BMC pediatrics · 2025Article
- The Impact of a Digital Peer-Supported App on Daily Steps and Lifestyle Changes Among Individuals With Prediabetes and Early-Stage Type 2 Diabetes: Prospective, Nonrandomized Controlled Trial.JMIR formative research · 2025Article
- Review
- The introduction of a new mobile lifestyle tool in the battle against hypothalamic obesity; the "HAPPYthalamus" application.Obesity pillars · 2025Article
- The Impact of Digital Technologies in Shaping Weight Loss Motivation Among Children and Adolescents.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Barriers and facilitators to lifestyle behavior change and goal setting in adolescents with polycystic ovary syndrome.Frontiers in nutrition · 2025Article
- MyKid'sNutrition mobile application: effect on mothers' nutritional knowledge and nutritional status of preschool-aged children with undernutrition - a randomised controlled trial.BMJ nutrition, prevention & health · 2025Article
- Childhood obesity in South Asian population.Obesity pillars · 2024Article
- Article
- Design and usability evaluation of a mobile application for self-care among Iranian adolescents.BMC public health · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundA technology-based intervention, such as a mobile application, was a growing interest and potentially effective modality for treating obesity. The study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the OBEST, a new mobile/tablet-based application in reducing weight and encouraging healthy eating behaviors and quality of life in children with obesity. The application could assist healthcare professionals to treat children and adolescents with obesity.
methodsA randomized controlled trial was conducted in the hospital and school settings in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Seventy-seven children and adolescents with obesity were randomized into two groups; one received standard care combined with the OBEST application, and the other received only standard care. The outcomes were changes in weight, healthy eating behaviors, and quality of life assessed by the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) from baseline to six-month follow-up between the two groups.
resultsThe results showed that the intervention group reduced more body mass index (BMI) and had a higher number of participants engaging in healthy eating behaviors than the standard care group but did not reach a statistically significant level, except for less frequent consumption of fast food. The participants in the intervention group had 4.5 times higher odds of decreased engaging in fast-food consumption than the standard care group at 6 months follow-up (odds ratio, 4.5 [95% CI, 1.41 to 14.35]). There were no statistically significant changes in PedsQL scores over 6 months in between groups.
conclusionsThe current study was unable to detect a significant effect of the OBEST application as an adjunct tool to the standard treatment on reducing weight in obese children and adolescents. However, the mobile application might help to increase engaging in healthy eating behaviors. Further studies with a larger sample are needed to confirm our findings.
trial registrationThe trial was retrospectively registered at the Thai Clinical Trials Registry (trial registration number: TCTR20200604008 , on June 4, 2020).
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.