‘Gamified’ app enhances lifestyle change in obese adults

A mobile health-engagement platform in the form of an app can help promote weight loss and adherence to in-person lifestyle modification programs among overweight and obese adults, new research indicates.

Results obtained with the Sidekick Health platform were presented June 11 here at the American Diabetes Association (ADA) 2017 Scientific Sessions by company cofounder and chief medical officer Saemundur “Sam” Oddsson, MD, an internist in Palo Alto, California.

The ‘gamified’ app uses a colorful and user-friendly interface and offers rewards to promote three behavioral areas: nutrition, physical activity, and stress management. Designed in collaboration with brain researchers from Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, it incorporates artificial intelligence to target the emotional areas of the brain that govern lifestyle choices.

Read the article at Medscape.

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