P2.J198: NAMIO: Bridging the gap in IHBLT Accessibility with an Easy-to-use App

Background: The 2023 Clinical Practice Guidelines for childhood obesity calls for intensive health behavior lifestyle treatment (IHBLT), which includes but is not limited to education and ongoing support for nutrition and physical activity. With the emergence of anti-obesity medications and their need to be accompanied by IHBLT, there is an urgent need for credible, scalable solutions that include the best practices of IHBLT.

Unfortunately, few patients have access to cost-effective, long term obesity treatment that addresses behavior change in the key areas which are known to impact health and BMI. Additionally, those who are most impacted by obesity experience health disparities that can make access to care even more challenging. NAMIO seeks to make obesity care accessible to the families who need it most.

Methods: NAMIO is a pediatrician-developed app for parents and caregivers which seeks to bridge the gap for evidence-based IHBLT while being both accessible and scalable. NAMIO incorporates health education, coaching, and skill building in five key areas: nutrition, physical activity, sleep, screen use, and social-emotional wellbeing. “IHBLT is most often effective when it occurs face-to-face, engages the whole family, and delivers at least 26 hours of nutrition, physical activity, and behavior change lessons over 3 to 12 months.” (1).

NAMIO automatically drips video, written, and audio content to support families and provides 26 hours of education over the course of a year. Additionally, patients have the option to upgrade to participate in private health coaching, and/or connection between NAMIO, the patient, and their pediatrician in order to provide a care-team experience.

Results: NAMIO began with a beta launch in April 2024, and is currently measuring quantitative components including user experience, frequency of app use, number of sessions completed, as well as self-monitoring minutes of physical activity, and fruit and vegetable intake.

Conclusion: NAMIO is an innovative solution to a wide gap in the accessibility of IHBLT programs. Existing programs are predominantly in-person, and many do not fully meet the guidelines for IHBLT best practices. NAMIO allows families to receive evidence-based education and skill-building activities asynchronously and free of charge. Although NAMIO is a new program, it does follow best practices for evidence-based IHBLT and we anticipate increased app use among caregivers will correlate with improved health outcomes.