Use of telehealth for measurement of anthropometrics in toddlers and their parents

Sarah Farabi^1,2*Cindy Schwarz³Bria Lee-Robinson³Lauren G Fiechtner⁴Victor Davila-Roman²Rachel G Tabak³Debra Haire-Joshu⁵

• ¹Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College, St. Louis, United States
• ²School of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, United States
• ³Brown School, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, United States
• ⁴MassGeneral Hospital for Children, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
• ⁵Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, United States

The use of telehealth (e.g., live videoconferencingvideo calling) to collect anthropometric data in toddlers and their parents to increase participation in lifestyle interventions holds promise. But, there is limited evidence to support reliability of live videoconferencingtelehealth for the collection of these measures. This study aimed to determine the reliability of instruction via live videoconferencinguse of telehealth with parents to collect anthropometric and blood pressure measures on themselves and anthropometric measures on their toddler, and determine the acceptability of instruction. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted as part of the developmental phase of a larger study... Research staff provided instructions to instructed parents via live videoconferencing to collect anthropometricvideo call to measure their own and their toddler's anthropometrics, and their own blood pressure measurements on themselves and anthropometric measurements on their toddler. Next, research staff collected the same measurements in-person. Intraclass Correlation Coefficients (ICC), relative technical error of measurementsmeasurement (TEM) and reliability coefficient values were computed to determine reliability between the measurements. Results: Thirty-seven parent/toddler dyads were enrolled in the study. ICC values for parent vs. research staff measured parental height and weight were 0.98 and 0.99, respectively, and relative technical error of measurement values for parental height and weightTEM values were 0.44% and 0.14%, respectively. ICC values for parent vs. research staff measured toddler height and weight were 0.98 and 0.99, and technical error of measurementrelative TEM values were 1.60% and 0.82%, respectively. ICC values for parent vs. research measured systolic and diastolic blood pressure were 0.86 and 0.89 respectively. Discussion: Parental self-measurement of height, weight, and blood pressure, and measurement of toddler height and weight is reliable and acceptable to parents when performed via live videoconferencing.using telehealth.