The Effectiveness of a Telenutrition Intervention to Improve Dietary Behavior and Physical Activity Among Adolescents With Obesity: Protocol for a Systematic Review

Background: The global obesity pandemic among adolescents is becoming a public health issue throughout the world. Telehealth use has significantly increased during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, including its application in adolescent obesity prevention and treatment. Objective: This review aims to synthesize the evidence on the effectiveness of telenutrition in improving dietary behavior and physical activity in adolescents with obesity. Methods: The PRISMA-P (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta -Analysis Protocols) guideline will used to structure this protocol. The focus of the systematic review is guided by the population, intervention, comparator, and outcome (PICO) framework. A systematic search of Science Direct, PubMed, Cochrane, Embase, JMIR, ProQuest, and Google scholar databases will be conducted. Two authors will screen the titles and abstracts of identified studies independently and select studies according to the eligibility criteria. The full -text reading will be done independently by 2 reviewers to assess final eligibility. Any discrepancies will then be discussed and resolved. The Cochrane Collaboration Risk of Bias tool was used to assess the risk of bias; a descriptive analysis will summarize the effectiveness of the telenutrition or any type of telehealth intervention used. Results: The systematic review is expected to be completed by the end of March 2024. The ongoing screening and review the articles are currently being conducted. Conclusions: This systematic review aims to summarize the effectiveness, features, design process, usability, and coherence of a telenutrition intervention using behavior change theory to improve dietary patterns and physical activity among adolescents with obesity. It will identify areas for improvement and best practices, informing the development of more useful and engaging telenutrition interventions for adolescents.