Telehealth as a therapeutic approach in the management of childhood obesity

Overweight and obesity in childhood and adolescence are not only associated with severe medical and psychological complications and sequelae, but also represent one of the greatest challenges for the healthcare system from an economic point of view. The restrictions imposed by the global COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic have further aggravated the already high prevalence of juvenile obesity. Since pharmacological treatment options are generally not approved in childhood/adolescence and therefore they are not an option, lifestyle modification has a separate role from a therapeutic perspective. Multimodal training concepts from various disciplines (e.g., psychology, nutrition, sports, medicine) currently show the best prospects of success. The targeted transfer of these training programs into telemedical concepts could sustainably improve their effectiveness and reduce resource requirements on both the therapeutic and patient side.