Conclusion
Although the e-therapeutic program led to a significant increase in health responsibility, inconclusive results were found regarding the program effectiveness compared to the standard multidisciplinary intervention. The lack of significant differences between groups may be due to the reduced rates of program adherence and the high dropout rate. What is known: • Adolescent obesity has reached epidemic proportions, and standard treatment programs have been unable to achieve the desired adherence so far. • Internet-based programs have already shown positive results in the adult obese population, but information is scarce regarding adolescents. What is new: • This study assesses the effectiveness of a structured case management program including communication technologies on both the behavioural change and the health of obese adolescents. • The e-therapeutic program led to an increase in health responsibility.
Trial registration
ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01904474.