APOLO-Teens, a Web-based Intervention For Adolescents With Overweight/Obesity

With the demand for weight-loss interventions likely to continue its upward trend over the next decades, the question remains on how to continuously monitor and support overweight and obese adolescents, particularly in the long-term. Moreover, as the burden of the obesity rates increases in health care centers, the development of alternative delivering strategies gains attention. In an environment of limited resources, the development of new-technology based programs seems a promising area to deliver cost-effective interventions to a wide number of individuals. However, the existing studies present several limitations and a challenging aspect of treating obesity in adolescents is the presence of high rates of disordered eating behaviors. The objective of this study is to develop and test the effectiveness of a web-based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy intervention, for adolescents with overweight/obesity. A Randomized Controlled Trial will compare a control group receiving medical treatment as usual (TAU), and an intervention group receiving TAU plus a psychological/behavioral intervention delivered via the internet.