Healthcare practitioners might even be thinking about their own "beach body" or lack thereof!
While there isn't any one diet or exercise program (or superfood) that is best for every patient, practitioners are likely to encourage their patients to eat smarter, get physically active, and to take a few minutes each day to smell the roses (aka, relax).
Wearable and mobile health technology (mHealth tech) offers both doctors and patients a multitude of options for connecting to health information, and monitoring and maintaining changes in health behavior.
And, it's no small market: One forecast by U.K. based Juniper Research projects market growth from $1.4 billion (2013) to $19 billion in 2018. Wearable and mHealth tech tools might also enhance communication and engagement with patients while helping to improve the population's health.
Connecting to Health Information
It's no secret that aggregating, analyzing and applying health data in valid and meaningful ways is a huge challenge. In addition, any mHealth tech tool (device or app) that tracks and monitors health data might require FDA approval and need to be HIPPA-compliant.
Getting over those hurdles won't be easy or inexpensive. While several companies offer devices that gather and track individual health and wellness data, one company, FitBit, is gaining momentum. FitBit produces wearable monitors that wirelessly and automatically track a variety of health measures based on the user's goals.
User's can track physical activity data; food and calories; body weight and BMI; and amount and quality of sleep. Reminders are sent to users to keep them motivated.
Real-time feedback is displayed with online tools and apps, including charts and graphs that make it easy to see where a user is being successful or where they are falling short of their goals.
If a doctor is aware that a patient is using a FitBit device (or similar), she can discuss the patient's progress and challenges during an office visit, giving the patient support and direction for maintaining an active healthy lifestyle.
Community Support + Gaming = Healthy Rewards
Behavior change isn't easy. It takes at least six weeks for a new behavior to become habit. Reinforcement, reward and social support all play a crucial role in successful behavior change.
Fitocracy capitalizes on the social aspect of gaming to provide support and reinforcement by turning fitness into a fun game. Developed by fitness and gaming geeks, Fitocracy reinforces exercise habits using the same strategies that keep people engaged with an online game—social community (playing with friends), winning (achieving personal goals or personal bests), and pushing boundaries (one-upping your friends, stretching personal limits).
Insurance companies have gotten on the health game board, too. UnitedHealth Group (MN), for example, launched OptimizeMe, an app that allows people to participate in fitness-related contests with their friends.
Also, the company had a successful pilot test of Join For Me, a program that encouragesobese adolescents at risk of developing diabetes to play videogames that requires dancing or other physical activities. Healthways has a Boston subsidiary called MeYou Health, which has developed a reward program for people who complete one health-related task per day. There is encouragement, support and reinforcement for making small, meaningful changes in behavior as it relates to well-being.
In the future we might be wearing health-tracking devices on the wrist, the finger or a chip imbedded in the forearm. As accuracy of the devices and apps improves, and safety and privacy are made paramount, wearable mHealth tech can go beyond fun tools to support individual health goals toward effective engagement with and support of patients in private healthcare practice. Wearable mHealth tech holds enormous potential for doctors, patients, insurance companies and the health of the population.
Karen M. Rider, M.A. is a freelance writer with special interests in health psychology, healthcare news and integrative medicine. She also writes marketing copy for health and wellness practitioners across a variety of specialties.
