Height and weight can be accurately measured remotely for children with obesity
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Key takeaways:
- No difference was observed between in-person and remotely measured height and weight for children with obesity.
- Remote measurements may help families unable to attend in-person appointments.
Height and weight measurements collected through videoconferencing are highly correlated with in-person measurements and support the use of remote assessment of BMI for children with obesity, according to a brief report.
“Remote measurement via videoconferencing with trained staff guidance is a valid assessment of height and weight for youth with obesity and is equivalent to gold standard in-person measurements,” Alyssa M. Button, PhD, a postdoctoral research fellow, and Amanda E. Staiano, PhD, MPP, associate professor at Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, told Healio. “Our procedures included videoconference guidance with a trained staff member, as well as providing written and video instructions to parents in addition to measurement supplies.”’
Button, Staiano and colleagues obtained height and weight measurements from 37 children and adolescents aged 6 to 15 years participating in the TEAM UP study. Participants had height and weight measured at an in-person visit and a remote visit conducted 1 week apart. At the in-person visit, a trained data assessor measured height and weight. During the remote visit, the child’s parent measured height and weight while being supervised by a trained data assessor via videoconferencing. Families were given a calibrated scale, carpenter’s square, measuring tape and written and video instructions on how to measure height and weight prior to the remote visit. One-sided t tests were performed to determine whether the in-person and remote measurements were equivalent to one another.
The study was published in Obesity.
According to two one-sided t tests, the in-person and remote height measurements were equivalent (P = .006). The absolute error value was 3.51 cm, and three of the 37 participants had errors beyond the 95% limits of agreement. The in-person and remote height measurements were highly correlated (r = 0.991; P < .0001).
Researchers also concluded that in-person and remote weight measurements were equivalent according to two one-sided t tests (P = .03). Absolute error was 1.7 kg, and three participants had errors beyond the 95% limits of agreement. High correlation was observed between the in-person and remote weight measurements (r = 0.999; P < .0001).
Button and Staiano said the findings show that remotely measured height and weight can be used to monitor BMI for a child who is receiving obesity treatment.
“Providers can use these evidence-based [remote] procedures to evaluate child height and weight to assess progress with treatment,” Button and Staiano said. “These remote procedures may enable greater access for families who have barriers to attending in-person measurements and potentially improve provider capacity by reducing appointment and prep time.”
Button and Staiano said some limitations to collecting remote measurements include unreliable internet service and the cost of measurement materials.
“Researchers might consider evaluating alternative methods such as resource sharing or accessible community locations for measurement,” Button and Staiano said.
For more information:
Alyssa M. Button, PhD, can be reached at alyssa.button@pbrc.edu.
Amanda E. Staiano, PhD, MPP, can be reached at amanda.staiano@pbrc.edu.
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