Child obesity: The Children’s Hospital at Westmead gives kids wearable tech to keep fit

TEN thousand steps has become the new holy grail for kids battling the bulge. Doctors and dietitians are giving overweight kids wearable technology to motivate them to get fit.

Kids will be given devices to wear which will measure how active they are during the day. Pictured is Emma Links with her daughter Mia and Jamie. Picture: Adam Yip/Manly Daily

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TEN thousand steps has become the new holy grail for kids battling the bulge.

Doctors and dietitians at The Children’s Hospital Westmead are giving overweight kids wearable technology to motivate them to get fit.

As part of a pilot study running this year, 35 children have been given the devices to help measure their heart rate, sleep patterns and the number of steps taken in a day.

Kids will be given devices to wear which will measure how active they are during the day. Pictured is Emma Links with her daughter Mia and Jamie. Picture: Adam Yip/Manly Daily

Those ­results are then being beamed back to research dietitian Dr Megan Gow and her team, who can then provide more targeted treatment.

“Instead of having to always focus on their diet, we can ask them about how their steps have been going,” Dr Gow said.

“If they have been taking a lot of steps I can say ‘great work’. If they are falling behind, I will know this sooner and find out what is going on.”

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Dr Gow deployed the technology during a type-two ­diabetes study, published last year.

She found that five out of eight children got significant motivation by measuring their steps.

This success meant the technology was included in the new obesity study, which is partly funded by the federal government.

Doctors and dietitians are then able to provide target treatment depending on the results from the devices. From left to right, Alannah Paul, 7, Mia Links, 9, Zach Paul, 9, and Jamie Links, 8, at Newport oval. Picture: Adam Yip/ Manly Daily

This success meant the technology was included in the new obesity study, which is partly funded by the federal government.

Getting the technology ­involved has also allowed parents to know more about their child’s movements. “We’ve found that parents have been relieved of the pressure of nagging their kids about getting out and active,” she said.

Northern beaches siblings Mia and Jamie Links have been using ETURBO for extra motivation.

“The kids have enjoyed finding out how many steps they have done and then competing with each other,” mum Emma Links said.