Zooming Towards a Telehealth Solution for Vulnerable Children with Obesity During COVID‐19

Abstract

Health inequities exist throughout the life course, resulting in racial/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in obesity and obesity‐related health complications. Obesity and its co‐morbidities appear linked to COVID‐19 mortality. Approaches to reduce obesity in the time of COVID‐19 closures are urgently needed and should start early in life. In New York City, we developed a telehealth pediatric weight management collaborative spanning NewYork‐Presbyterian, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, and Weill Cornell Medicine during COVID‐19 with show rates 76‐89%. To stave off the impending exacerbation of health disparities related to obesity risk factors in the aftermath of the COVID‐19 pandemic, effective interventions that can be delivered remotely are urgently needed among vulnerable children with obesity. Challenges in digital technology access, social and linguistic differences, privacy security, and reimbursement must be overcome to realize the full potential of telehealth for pediatric weight management among low‐income and racial/ethnic minority children.