Endocrine Abstracts

The rising prevalence of childhood obesity is a major public health concern. Approximately 21% of children by the age of eleven are clinically obese, with a further 14% classed as overweight. The causes of obesity of childhood obesity are multifaceted, leading to a complex multi-disciplinary management approach. A high proportion of children and young people do not meet the recommended guidelines of a minimum of 60 minutes physical activity per day. In addition to the barrier’s families face when accessing sport, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused unprecedented limitations on physical activity levels due to social distancing guidelines and facility closures. Patients with obesity have been greatly impacted as their clinical management involves physical exercise participation. Digital solutions have readily adapted throughout the pandemic to address gaps in patient care, enabling virtual interactions to continue between patients and clinicians. To overcome restrictions, a Tier 3 weight management service delivered virtual exercise sessions to children and young people with obesity. The 30-minute sessions were delivered twice weekly and comprised of a variety of physical activities ranging from circuit style exercises to yoga and meditation. Patients’ perceptions to virtual real time sessions have not previously been explored in this cohort of children. To enhance future paediatric weight management services, the perceptions of children with obesity are needed. Semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted on 6 patients from the service who had participated in the sessions, for a duration of six months. The data was transcribed verbatim, reviewed by two independent researchers, and underwent thematic analysis. This study was carried out to establish whether virtual sessions are an acceptable method to improve the activity levels among children and young people with obesity. The respondents favoured virtual exercise over traditional face to face exercise and perceived improvements in both their energy and activity levels, along with an improvement of sleeping routine. The children were consistently motivated to join the virtual exercise sessions due to increased enjoyment and improved confidence upon participation. Our study revealed that virtual sessions enable children and young people with obesity to receive necessary interventions to promote physical activity participation and engagement.