Research | Namio Health

NAMIO is an evidence-based approach to improving family health and applies research from the following studies:

US Preventive Services Task Force, 2024

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommended that children and adolescents with a high body mass index (BMI) be referred to intensive behavioral interventions -- and not weight-loss drugs -- in a final recommendation statement.

NAMIO is proud to meet IHBLT recommendations, including 26 hours over a 12 month program, behavior interventions supporting nutrition and physical activity, and more. Learn more about the USPSTF statement here.

JAMA, 2024

Journal of American Medical Association finds children born to Parents who had obesity at age 17 at higher risk of obesity at that age. Full article available here.

JAMA, 2024

Between 2020 and 2023, the number of adolescents and young adults prescribed GLP-1 agonist medication such as WeGovy increased 600%.

This astronomical increase in anti-obesity medications for adolescents is expected to continue. The FDA approval says the medication is approved alongside a reduced calorie meal plan and increased physical activity for weight reduction and long-term maintenance. Yet few adolescents have access to a behavioral intervention to support the nutrition and activity changes. NAMIO fills the gap, offering a special track for adolescents on GLP-1 agonists and other anti-obesity medications.

American Academy of Pediatrics, 2023

Learn more about Intensive Health Behavior Interventions, the best practice childhood obesity intervention according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

USPSTF, 2023

High body mass index in children and adolescents: Interventions

United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) draft recommendation (Grade B) recommends that clinicians provide or refer children and adolescents ages 6 and older to comprehensive, intensive behavioral interventions with at least 26 contact hours or more that include supervised physical activity; sessions targeting both the parent and child (separately, together, or both); offer group sessions in addition to individual or single-family sessions; provide information about healthy eating, safe exercising, and reading food labels; and incorporate behavior change techniques such as problem solving, monitoring diet and activity behaviors, and goal setting. Evidence supports these types of programs lead to sustained improvements in BMI.

NAMIO Health does all of this and more!

The Affordable Care Act requires that insurance companies cover USPSTF Grade A and B recommended preventive services.

CPSTF, 2019

The Community Preventive Services Task Force (CPSTF) recommends digital health interventions to assist adolescents with overweight or obesity with weight management. Effective interventions combine self-monitoring and goal setting using digital health to increase adolescents’ awareness of healthy dietary or physical activity behaviors that help with weight management. For a period of at least two months, adolescents record their weight and dietary or physical activity behaviors and track their progress toward meeting set goals. To enhance adolescents’ self-monitoring skills, program personnel teach them how to use the digital health features through in-person, text, or written instructions. Interventions also may include one or more of the following:

Individualized feedback from healthcare providers or trained program personnel related to goals and intervention adherence
Educational materials for parents or caregivers to help them support their child’s healthier dietary and physical activity habits (e.g., newsletter, handbook)
Peer or social support through internet forums or discussion groups
Counseling from a healthcare provider about nutrition, physical activity, sedentary behaviors, or weight, either in-person or via phone, text, email, or mobile apps

NAMIO Health does all of this and more!

AAP Clinical Practice Guidelines, 2023

Clinical Practice Guideline for the Evaluation and Treatment of Children and Adolescents With Obesity by the American Academy of Pediatrics advises that all children and adolescents 6 and older be offered or referred to an intensive health behavior lifestyle intervention (IHBLT). IHBLT is most often effective in reducing BMI when it occurs face-to-face, engages the whole family, and delivers at least 26 hours of nutrition, physical activity, and behavior change lessons over 3 to 12 months. Fewer studies evaluated the effectiveness of treatment that did not take place in a face-to-face setting, including mobile health tools for parents or adolescents, telemedicine- delivered counseling sessions, or guided self-help for families. Although there is promising evidence that these strategies may be successful, more research is needed to understand the target population, effectiveness on health outcomes, and implementation potential.

NAMIO Health offers and affordable, accessible, and effective digital IHBLT with virtual face-to-face meetings with a health coach as well as a defined, evidence-based curriculum.

Scaleable mHealth intervention for children with obesity, 2023

Effectiveness of a Scalable mHealth Intervention for Children With Overweight and Obesity. This retrospective study of children and adolescents participating in a digital health coaching intervention found that a scalable coaching program with integrated digital tools for monitoring diet and activity can lead to significant reductions in weight status. The NAMIO Health intervention follows the same digital intervention best practices, likely to reproduce these results.

Use of a lifestyle intervention app for adolescents with obesity, 2021

Use of a Mobile Lifestyle Intervention App as an Early Intervention for Adolescents With Obesity: Single-Cohort Study. Engagement with a mobile lifestyle intervention was high. Participants showed statistically significant improvements in measured body fat percentage, self-reported quality of life, and self-reported caloric intake from the 3-day food diaries at 3 and 6 months. The NAMIO Health intervention follows the same digital intervention best practices, likely to reproduce these results.

AAP, 2024

The Role of the Pediatrician in the Promotion of Healthy Active Living clinical report published by the American Academy of Pediatrics, of which NAMIO Health co-founder Dr. Natalie Muth is lead author, recommended that pediatricians guide families in optimizing nutrition, physical activity, sleep, screen use, and social-emotional wellness – the same factors promoted as “Five to Thrive” in the NAMIO Health intervention. This is not a coincidence – Evidence supports that these are the five key factors to focus on to help children and families thrive.

Preventing obesity in children, 2019

Interventions for Preventing Obesity in Children published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews showed that interventions that include diet combined with physical activity interventions can reduce the risk of obesity in young children aged 0 to 5 years. Interventions that only focus on physical activity can reduce the risk of obesity (BMI) in children aged 6 to 12 years, and adolescents aged 13 to 18 years. In these age groups, there is no evidence that interventions that only focus on diet are effective, and some evidence that diet combined with physical activity interventions may be effective. Importantly, this updated review also suggests that interventions to prevent childhood obesity do not appear to result in adverse effects or health inequalities. NAMIO Health takes a holistic approach across childhood and adolescence with a focus on nutrition and physical activity intervention.

Framework for prevention and treatment of obesity, 2015

An Integrated Framework for the Prevention and Treatment of Obesity and Its Related Chronic Diseases of which NAMIO Health co-founder Dr. Natalie Muth is a co-author, provides strong evidence and call to action that clinical and community systems work together to most effectively prevent and treat obesity. Unlike other programs, NAMIO Health follows this guidance and strives to integrate clinicians and clinical systems with the family-based intensive mobile intervention that children and families implement within their communities.

CHOICES, 2023

CHOICES (Childhood Obesity Intervention Cost-Effectiveness Study) describes strategies most cost-effective and clinically-effective for the prevention and treatment of childhood obesity. Implementing electronic decision support for pediatricians to better recognize and refer children with overweight and obesity in children ages 6-12 can reach 4,200,000 million children over 10 years and prevent 52,200 cases of obesity. Yet many clinicians do not implement such tools, at least in part due to not having appropriate interventions to refer families. NAMIO Health provides an accessible, affordable, and effective intervention for children and families with overweight or obesity.

The Economic And Health Impact Of Increasing Children’s Physical Activity In The United States, 2017

Modeling The Economic And Health Impact Of Increasing Children’s Physical Activity In The United States shows that if 50 percent of children would exercise, the number of children with overweight or obesity would decrease by 4.18 percent, averting $8.1 billion in direct medical costs and $13.8 billion in lost productivity. Increasing the proportion of children who exercised to 75 percent would avert $16.6 billion and $23.6 billion, respectively. NAMIO Health helps children and families move more – which not only helps prevent and treat childhood obesity but also saves the U.S. health system significant financial resources.

CDC Diabetes Prevention Program

Diabetes Prevention Program lifestyle change program is the national standard for an effective and intensive health behavior intervention and is the model upon which NAMIO Health is adapted.