JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Asthma affects >8% of youth and is a leading cause of emergency department visits in the United States. Obesity places children with asthma at increased risk for poor health outcomes, reduced quality of life, and increased healthcare expenditures). Weight loss is critical for improving asthma outcomes in children with OB. Our study team developed the Childhood Health and Asthma Management Program (CHAMP), a 16-session behavioral family lifestyle intervention for school-age children with asthma and obesity, and evaluated CHAMP in an RCT trial in comparison to attention control. There were medium effect sizes favoring CHAMP for changes in Body Mass Index z-scores, asthma control, and lung function among completers (i.e., those who attended ≥ 9 of 16 sessions). Despite high rates of satisfaction reported by families, attendance and trial attrition were suboptimal, which raised concerns regarding the feasibility of CHAMP. Qualitative feedback from participants indicated three clear areas for refinement: 1) a less burdensome intervention modality; 2) a more individually tailored intervention experience; and 3) that interventionists can better answer health-related questions.

Objective:

We propose to improve on our pilot intervention by developing mCHAMP, a nurse-delivered behavioral family lifestyle intervention supported by a mobile health app. The current study aims to 1) identify structural components of mCHAMP and 2) develop and test the usability of our mCHAMP app.

Methods:

Participants will be recruited from an outpatient pediatric pulmonary clinic. We will identify the structural components of mCHAMP by conducting a needs assessment with parents of children with asthma and OB. Subsequently, we will develop and test our mCHAMP app using an iterative process that includes usability testing with target users and pediatric nurses.

Results:

The project was funded in 2018 and recruitment opened September 2018. Currently, twelve parents of children with asthma and obesity have participated in the needs assessment. Participatory design sessions and usability testing is expected to conclude in 2019. The first results are expected to be submitted for publication in late 2019.

Conclusions:

Outcomes from this study are expected to include a mHealth app designed with direct participation from the target audience and usability data from stakeholders as well as potential end-users.