Automated growth monitoring app (GROWIN): a mobile Health (mHealth) tool to improve the diagnosis and early management of growth and nutritional disorders in childhood.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the functionality and feasibility of the GROWIN app for promoting early detection of growth disorders in childhood, supporting early interventions, and improving children's lifestyle by analyzing data collected over 3 years (2018-2020). METHODS: We retrospectively assessed the growth parameters (height, weight, body mass index [BMI], abdominal circumference) entered by users (caregivers/parents) in the GROWIN app. We also analyzed the potential health problems detected and the messages/recommendations the app showed. Finally, we assessed the possible impact/benefit of the app on the growth of the children. RESULTS: A total of 21 633 users (Spanish [65%], Latin American [30%], and others [5%]) entered 10.5 ± 8.3 measurements (0-15 y old). 1200 recommendations were for low height and 550 for low weight. 1250 improved their measurements. A specialist review was recommended in 500 patients due to low height. 2567 nutrition tests were run. All children with obesity (n = 855, BMI: 27.8 kg/m2 [2.25 SD]) completed the initial test with a follow-up of ≥1 year. Initial results (score: 8.1) showed poor eating habits (fast food, commercially baked goods, candy, etc.), with >90% not having breakfast. After 3-6 months, BMI decreased ≥1 point, and test scores increased ≥2 points. This benefit was maintained beyond 1 year and was correlated with an improvement in BMI (r = -.65, P = .01). DISCUSSION/CONCLUSIONS: The GROWIN app represents an innovative automated solution for families to monitor growth. It allows the early detection of abnormal growth indicators during childhood and adolescence, promoting early interventions. Additionally, in children with obesity, an improvement in healthy nutritional habits and a decrease in BMI were observed.

Study of early detection of cardiovascular risk factors in children born small (SGA) and review of literature.

Many children are born small for gestational age (SGA), due to intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) and in recent years we have witnessed an increase in the prevalence of this problem. In our region, Aragon, 5% of children (between 550-600 per year) are born SGA, which represents a serious public health problem. Some studies have suggested that these patients have a higher risk of suffering from high blood pressure (HBP), dyslipidemia, obesity, insulin resistant diabetes and atherosclerosis in adulthood. Nevertheless other publications do not support this hypothesis, so given the lack of consensus on the potential risks of this situation, we believed it would be interesting to study, at an early stage of life, whether a sample of children born SGA would present greater cardiovascular risk factors than children born with an adequate weight for gestational age (AGA).