Marie Lof*, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden Christine Delisle*, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden Ralph Maddison, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand Track: Research Presentation Topic: Mobile & Tablet Health Applications Presentation Type: Oral presentation Submission Type: Single Presentation Building: Sol Principe Room: C - Almudaina Date: 2014-10-09 11:50 AM – 12:35 PM Last modified: 2014-09-16

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Background: According to WHO, childhood obesity is one of the most serious public health challenges of the 21st century. Overweight and obesity may be established already as early as at 2-5 years of age, indicating that evidence-based effective treatment and prevention programs are needed already in very young children. In adults, the use of intervention programmes based on mobile phone and internet technology (so called mHealth programmes) for delivering behaviour change interventions has attracted interest, including in obesity treatment in adults. However, to our knowledge no study has used mobile phone and internet technology in an intervention study to counteract overweight and obesity in very young children.

Objectives: To develop and evaluate the MINISTOP app: a mobile-phone based application aiming to improve dietary habits and increase physical activity in 4-year-olds.
Methods: The MINISTOP app is based on social cognitive theory and involves delivery of a comprehensive, personalized programme of information and text messages based on existing guidelines for a healthy diet and activity in pre-school children. The content has been developed by a dietician and a psychologist and tested in a pilot study of parents of 4-year-olds (n=11). The feasibility and usability was evaluated in another pilot study (n=19). The effectiveness of the application to improve dietary habits, body fatness and physical activity in 4-year-olds are currently investigated in a randomized controlled trial. Three-hundred families (150 in the intervention and 150 in the control group) will be included.

Results: The results from the pilot studies will be reported and the final content of the MINISTOP app will be presented. Furthermore, a brief overview of the randomized controlled trial where the app is evaluated will be provided. So far 80 families have been enrolled. Preliminary results and experiences obtained thus far will be presented.

Conclusion: This project will evaluate a web-and mobile phone-based intervention for 4-year-old children. If the intervention turns out to be successful it has great potential to be implemented in child-health care to counteract childhood obesity.