A study conducted by the Finnish National Institute for Health and Welfare, through its StopDia program, and published by Science Daily showed promising results when it comes to using apps to promote healthy lifestyle changes, particularly in people who are susceptible to developing type-2 diabetes. The lifestyle counseling application, called BitHabit, helped encourage a group of participants to maintain habits that helped them change their dietary habits for the better and reduce their waist circumferences. Participants used the application for a full year, and when combined with group guidance sessions, BitHabit was shown to be an effective motivational tool over a long period of time.
The application works by encouraging users to take small steps that, when developed into habits, become effective deterrents to the development of type-2 diabetes. For example, the application “nudged” users to eat healthy snacks, such as fruits and vegetables, in between meals at work, and periodically reminded users at work to stretch or perform other brief, low-impact exercises. The goal of the study was to target the work environment, by introducing and normalizing healthy habits into the workplace in order to encourage others in the same environment to partake in the same activities. Additionally, the goal of encouraging users to eat a healthy snack during the day is meant to prevent fatigue and unhealthy meal choices.
The study recruited participants by advertising the app in various media outlets. The researchers found that the most effective ways of getting the word out were social media and journalistic content featuring personal interviews. Women showed more interest in participating in the study than men were, and many of the men who did participate did so at the suggestion of a friend or relative, including their wives.
Upon registering for the app, participants took the Finnish Diabetes Risk Store (FINDRISC) survey to assess their risk for diabetes. FINDRISC has been shown to be an effective tool for screening patients without laboratory testing, and the study revealed that over half of participants who applied already had a glucose metabolism disorder. Furthermore, 5% of participants were diagnosed with previously undetected diabetes, and the researchers found that the health care system does not reach many who would benefit from adopting preventative habits.
Older participants used the application more actively than younger participants did, underscoring the importance of adopting non-discriminatory practices in healthcare. The researchers also found that women in workplaces were more likely to talk about the app and the various preventative habits it recommended than men were. The change in lifestyle habits was measured not only in users of the app, but their co-workers, and the researchers found that after a year, both healthy snacking and exercising increased throughout workplaces participating in the program, even in non-users of the app. This is because, the researchers argue, many of the choices we make are automatic, and based on environmental factors more so than individual ones.
Other studies have also explored the potential of smartphone apps to instill healthy habits in users. A Swedish study is looking at the app Health Integrator in addition to conventional, but more expensive programs for lifestyle changes, including individual coaching. The app was designed to help users in various aspects of lifestyle changes, including, smoking, alcohol, physical activity, diet, stress, and sleep. With a health coach, users of the app determine which areas of their life they want to focus on improving, and the app provides personalized tools, such as an activity tracker for running. Though the study is ongoing, researchers hypothesize that after three months, users of the app in conjunction with additional health programs will experience the greatest improvement in health results, followed by users of only the app.
Inspired by the scientific work that is being done in this area, various companies are introducing similar apps that take a holistic view of health to encourage healthier lifestyles. Life Extend, for instance, is an app that is designed to help users improve their lifespan and is based in part on the research conducted during the Finnish study. The app encourages users to partake in healthy behaviors, such as intermittent fasting and getting adequate sleep, and uses machine learning to analyze data about a person’s health and generate personalized recommendations for areas of improvement.
Tyler Olhorst is a Contributing Editor at The National Digest based in New York. You can reach him at inquiries@thenationaldigest.com.
