Activity & Wellness Resource Center

Connected health programs can facilitate patient self-management and encourage consumers to take a more active role in their health. Real-time access to personal health data and targeted patient education encourages healthy lifestyle decisions and wellness efforts.  Patient self-management programs, utilizing connected health technologies, are being applied to a number of mounting health crises, including obesity, hypertension and diabetes.

Center for Connected Health Initiatives

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Step Up: Virtual Coach

This randomized controlled trial measured the effect of personalized feedback and motivational coaching, via the Virtual Coach computer avatar, on adherence to an activity regime.

Step it Up: Kids' Activity Program

The Step it Up program incorporates activity tracking using a pedometer (or “sneaker chip”), educational feedback relating to their activity, and a fun team-oriented foot race.

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Center for Connected Health Initiatives

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Step Up: Virtual Coach

This randomized controlled trial measured the effect of personalized feedback and motivational coaching, via the Virtual Coach computer avatar, on adherence to an activity regime.

Step it Up: Kids' Activity Program

The Step it Up program incorporates activity tracking using a pedometer (or “sneaker chip”), educational feedback relating to their activity, and a fun team-oriented foot race.

2 Comments

Research Materials & External Resources

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An Internet-Based Virtual Coach to Promote Physical Activity Adherence in Overweight Adults: Randomized Controlled Trial

The authors hypothesized that a virtual coach would increase activity levels, via step count, in overweight or obese individuals beyond the effect observed using a pedometer and website alone.

January 2012 | Watson A, Bickmore T, Cange A, Kulshreshtha A, Kvedar J

Comparison of strategies for sustaining weight loss: the weight loss maintenance randomized controlled trial

This study found that brief personal counseling and web-based intervention strategies offer the best hope in keeping weight off over three years.

March 2008 | Svetkey LP et al.

Promoting physical activity through hand-held computer technology

Results from this first-generation study indicate that hand-held computers may be effective tools for increasing initial physical activity levels among underactive adults.

February 2008 | King AC, Ahn DK, Oliveira BM, Atienza AA, Castro CM, Gardner CD

A Review of eHealth Interventions for Physical Activity and Dietary Behavior Change

A review of 86 eHealth intervention studies for adults and children that targeted behavior change for physical activity, healthy eating, or both behaviors.

October 2007 | Norman GJ, Zabinski MF, Adams MA, Rosenberg DE, Yaroch AL, Atienza AA

Medical Self-Care Savings

An American Institute for Preventive Medicine White Paper

2007 | American Institute for Preventive Medicine

Web-based weight management programs in an integrated health care setting: a randomized, controlled trial

The authors assessed the efficacy of a Web-based tailored behavioral weight management program compared with Web-based information-only weight management materials.

February 2006 | Rothert K, Strecher VJ, Doyle LA, Caplan WM, Joyce JS, Jimison HB, Karm LM, Mims AD, Roth MA

A handheld animated advisor for physical activity promotion

The authors have developed an animated PDA-based advisor that can engage sedentary adults in dialogues about their physical activity throughout the day.

January 2006 | Bickmore TW, Gruber A, Intille S, Mauer D

Effect of internet support on the long-term maintenance of weight loss

Participants assigned to an internet-based weight maintenance program sustained comparable weight loss over 18 months compared with individuals who continued to meet face-to-face.

February 2004 | Harvey-Berino J, Pintauro S, Buzzell P, Gold EC

Research Materials & External Resources

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An Internet-Based Virtual Coach to Promote Physical Activity Adherence in Overweight Adults: Randomized Controlled Trial

The authors hypothesized that a virtual coach would increase activity levels, via step count, in overweight or obese individuals beyond the effect observed using a pedometer and website alone.

January 2012 | Watson A, Bickmore T, Cange A, Kulshreshtha A, Kvedar J

Comparison of strategies for sustaining weight loss: the weight loss maintenance randomized controlled trial

This study found that brief personal counseling and web-based intervention strategies offer the best hope in keeping weight off over three years.

March 2008 | Svetkey LP et al.

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News & Articles Show Less

Your app's 'virtual coach' may give you beneficial nudge: studyIf you're looking to shed weight by relying on a smartphone app and/or a portable fitness gadget, look for one that comes with a "virtual coach," at least according to new research published last week.
Friday, February 3, 2012 | Yahoo! PhilippinesFitness apps out; virtual coaches inHealth and fitness apps and websites may be getting a bad rap these days, with many viewed as ineffective and unlikely to help users achieve long-term results. But add a "virtual coach" and you may boost effectiveness, according to a new study in the Journal of Medical Internet Research, conducted by Partners' Center for Connected Health in Boston.
Thursday, February 2, 2012 | FierceHealthITMassachusetts study shows benefits of virtual coachingMove over, “Biggest Loser.” A new study conducted by the Center for Connected Health and Massachusetts General Hospital has found that overweight people who make use of Internet-based coaching show more commitment to improving their health than those who don’t use a so-called “virtual coach.”
Wednesday, February 1, 2012 | mHIMSSVirtual coaches keep overweight people on trackOverweight people who make use of web-based virtual coaches show more commitment to improving their health than those who don’t, according to a new study by the Center for Connected Health and Massachusetts General Hospital.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012 | Healthcare IT NewsStudy: ‘Virtual Coach’ Helps Get Overweight People MovingIf you’ve been talking with Siri on your iPhone lately, you know how deeply natural it is to respond to a computer-generated “person” as if they were human even when you know perfectly well they’re built of nothing but bits. Researchers had already found that patients tend to respond well to post-hospital instructions from computer-generated “discharge nurses.” Now, a new study finds that “virtual coaches” can help overweight people get more active, at least during a 12-week study.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012 | CommonHealthStudy: Virtual coach improves activity levels for overweight, obeseA study published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research found that using a “virtual coach” helped overweight or obese people increase their activity levels. Researchers at Boston-based Center for Connected Health and Massachusetts General Hospital found that virtual coaches increased step counts by a significant amount.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012 | mobihealthnews'Virtual Coach' increases activity levels in fight against obesity epidemic according to new study from the Partners Center for Connected HealthThe use of a ‘Virtual Coach’ or computer agent increases activity levels in overweight or obese individuals, according to a new study published in the current issue of the Journal of Medical Internet Research. Conducted by the Center for Connected Health, data showed a significant percentage change in step count for participants with access to Internet-based coaching, versus those without access to the Virtual Coach.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012 | Center for Connected HealthAn Internet-Based Virtual Coach to Promote Physical Activity Adherence in Overweight Adults: Randomized Controlled TrialThe Center for Connected Health's study on the power of visual coaching for activity. We hypothesized that a virtual coach would increase activity levels, via step count, in overweight or obese individuals beyond the effect observed using a pedometer and website alone.
Thursday, January 26, 2012 | Journal of Medical Internet ResearchThe Virtual Nurse Will See You NowResearchers at Northeastern University have developed a virtual nurse and exercise coach that are surprisingly likable and effective—even if they're not quite as affable as the medical hologram on Star Trek. In fact, patients who interacted with a virtual nurse named Elizabeth said they preferred the computer simulation to an actual doctor or nurse because they didn't feel rushed or talked down to.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011 | MIT Technology ReviewComputer Stimulated Nurse"We already know we don't have enough health-care providers to go around, and it's only getting worse," says Kvedar. "About 60 percent of the cost of delivering health care comes from human resources, so even if you can train more people, it's not an ideal way to improve costs."
Tuesday, November 1, 2011 | Next Big FutureVerizon Foundation Awards $25,000 to Partners Healthcare Center for Connected HealthBoston area students will be taking steps toward healthier lifestyles, thanks to a Partners Healthcare Center for Connected Health program supported by the Verizon Foundation. A $25,000 Verizon Foundation grant will support a text-messaging program that promotes good health and nutrition, incorporating tracking of the students' daily activity.
Monday, October 24, 2011 | Verizon FoundationTexting for Health: New $25K Grant will Help Boston-Area Students Get Healthy Through the use of Mobile TechnologyMost doctors, trainers and nutritionists wouldn’t consider text messaging to be a tool that can help students lead healthier lifestyles. But now, thanks to a $25,000 Verizon Foundation grant, text messages will soon be promoting proper nutrition and fitness for students in the Boston area.
Monday, October 24, 2011 | New England PostCenter for Connected Health wins grant for student-use pedometers The Verizon Foundation has given Partners Healthcare Center for Connected Health a $25,000 grant to help middle school and high school students track their health and nutrition.
Monday, October 24, 2011 | Mass High TechStudents take stand and step for healthElementary school students in Dorchester are learning that small steps can lead to big changes in their health. The students are participating in a 16-week program called “Step it Up.” Sponsored by Partners HealthCare, DotWell and Partners HealthCare Center for Connected Health, the program was launched in March and incorporates technology, educational feedback and a team-oriented foot race to raise awareness about the importance of daily activity and good health.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011 | Bay State BannerSmall Steps to Address a Big Problem Partners HealthCare is working to develop creative solutions to this problem within those communities most affected by the obesity epidemic, using available technology to work with schools and parents to teach local school children about the importance of activity and diet.
Monday, May 9, 2011 | Connect with PartnersSneaker chips track grade-schoolers’ movement, healthStep It Up, a pilot program currently in motion at the Emily A. Fifield and Oliver Wendell Holmes elementary schools in Dorchester, MA, is encouraging grade schoolers to get moving and get healthy.
Thursday, April 14, 2011 | Dorchester ReporterDieting for dollars? More US employees trying itAt least a third of U.S. companies offer financial incentives, or are planning to introduce them, to get their employees to lose weight or get healthier in other ways.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010 | Boston GlobeHopSkipConnect: Everyone, everyday, every way“Healthy behavior. Everyone. Everyday. Everyway.” That’s the ambitious mantra that the Center for Connected Health’s new launch, HopSkipConnect has adopted as its company’s mandate, according to CEO Rick Lee during a presentation at the Wireless Life-Sciences Alliance event in La Jolla, California.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010 | mobihealthnewsEmployers consider wearable wellness techThe recent health reform legislation has not provided any short term cost relievers for employers, according to a BusinessWeek report that highlights the growing importance of employee wellness programs to bend the so-called cost curve for healthcare.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010 | mobihealthnewsConnected health offerings aim to shake up health-care industryInsurers and doctors have had their say on Capitol Hill. But Dr. Joe Kvedar wants to put another interest group in the driver’s seat of health-care reform: IT executives and entrepreneurs.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010 | Mass High TechMicrosoft E-health Research Taps Xbox, Mobile PhonesMicrosoft is researching how gadgets like the company's Xbox game machine, surface computers and accelerometers in mobile phones could be used to improve health care.
Monday, February 8, 2010 | PCWorldGetting Fit With 2 Bits of HelpTwo new tiny wearable motion sensors are on the loose, backed by Web sites that graph the collected data on daily activity for your motivational pleasure.
Thursday, December 17, 2009 | The New York TimesYour weight, announced daily to your Twitter followersThe WiFi Body Scale from Withings not only charts the ups and downs of your body mass index on a password-protected Web site, but it can send out info about your morning weigh-in to all your followers on Twitter.
Monday, December 14, 2009 | The Boston GlobeThe Potential of Remote Health Monitoring at WorkThe Center for Connected Health has been creating modules that employers can offer to workers who have a chronic condition that bears close watching but who report to work each day and do the things that need to be done.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009 | Harvard Business ReviewDigital games gain traction for improving healthDigital games are one of the latest tools being used to improve health outcomes, says one expert.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009 | Healthcare IT NewsNew CDC Web Site Helps Businesses Address Employee ObesityThe CDC has launched a Web site to help businesses tackle the nation's fast-growing obesity crisis.
Friday, June 26, 2009 | HealthLeaders MediaEmployees Like Wellness Programs, but Don't Want Their Wages Tied to Them While most employees at larger companies are familiar with wellness programs offered by their or other employers, they have mixed feelings when it comes to how incentives should be used to spur employee participation.
Thursday, June 11, 2009 | AIS Health.comPhysician Internet Use Is Growing Rapidly, but Mobile Is the Trend to WatchHealth plans that reach out to their members on their terms using tools that reach them wherever they happen to be with tailored, focused messages stand the best chance of success. And one effective way to do this is with cell phones and other mobile devices.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009 | Michael CarbineOnline Records Get Patients Involved in Care Large managed-care groups like Kaiser Permanente and Group Health Cooperative are increasingly using electronic medical-record systems to help solve the age-old problem of getting patients to take better care of themselves.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009 | Laura LandroAt Wal-Mart, a Health-Care TurnaroundThe company has also put into practice many of the innovations that experts say will lead to higher-quality, more efficient care. Using its high-tech marketing savvy, Wal-Mart has introduced digital records, partnered with prestigious organizations such as the Mayo Clinic, and begun targeting costly health problems.
Friday, February 13, 2009 | The Washington PostCenter for Connected Health to Launch Disease-Monitoring System, Mulls Commercial SpinoffThe Center for Connected Health is launching a Web-based service so employers can help their workers keep their high blood pressure in check. The service could help reduce thousands of fatal strokes and heart attacks in the U.S. caused by high blood pressure every year.
Thursday, February 12, 2009 | XconomyTwo Blues Plans Build Obesity Disease Management Programs for Youth and AdultsTwo Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans launched obesity disease management (DM) programs in an effort to intervene early with patients at risk of comorbidities stemming from being overweight.
Thursday, January 15, 2009 | AIS Health.comStudy: Online Care May Reduce Healthcare CostsResults of a study released today found that the use of online care for certain prescribed circumstances may result in first-dollar financial savings for employer-sponsored health plans.
Thursday, September 25, 2008 | Government TechnologyE-health programs result in lower premiums for companies, better care for employeesCisco Systems reports that participating in a pilot program that provides its employees with online health care tools has cut health care costs and increased workers' productivity. Experts say Cisco's results could prompt other firms to follow suit.
Friday, August 8, 2008 | Silicon Valley/San Jose Business JournalFew Companies Address Employees' Obesity Despite Increasing CostNationwide, companies spend $45 billion annually related to employees' obesity, but few firms are addressing workplace obesity. Studies have shown that incentives programs, such health club discounts and reduced health insurance premiums, can encourage healthier lifestyles.
Sunday, June 22, 2008 | New York TimesPatients Turn to Online Therapy Sessions as Easy AlternativeA growing number of patients are turning to online psychological therapy via instant messaging, e-mail and videoconferencing as a convenient, comfortable alternative to face-to-face therapy sessions.
Monday, June 16, 2008 | iHealthBeatWeb service Limeade addresses health, wellness at companiesWeb-based program Limeade allows companies to better engage employees in health assessment programs by widening the focus to include lifestyle, happiness and workplace issues.
Monday, April 14, 2008 | Seattle Post-IntelligencerWellness works: Comprehensive program brings modest ROIA recent study of workers at health insurer Highmark, Inc., shows that a comprehensive employee wellness program results in a positive ROI.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008 | Disease Management AdvisorOnline health programmes in the workplaceFor a growing number of UK organisations, online well­being programmes are proving a cost-effective way of getting the healthy living message across to staff.
Friday, February 29, 2008 | PersonnelToday.comSchool project aims for healthier studentsStudents are participating in Kids Connect, a telehealth program from Oneonta, N.Y.-based At Home Care, that was developed to see if changes in eating habits and activity levels can improve student health.
Monday, January 21, 2008 | The Daily StarWellness incentives engage Americans in their healthcareMember engagement is one of the toughest challenges for plans, employers and physicians.
Tuesday, January 1, 2008 | Managed Healthcare ExecutiveSmart clothes to monitor healthMonday, June 11, 2007 | BBC NewsEmployers reach large populations with progressive DM programsDisease management and prevention is sorely needed, but it's been a struggle to change the behaviors of large groups of people. A number of programs are finding success using non-traditional methods.
Friday, June 1, 2007 | Managed Healthcare ExecutivePiloting a virtual health care helperPartners Healthcare System to run trials of weight-loss coach 'Laura'
Friday, April 6, 2007 | Mass High Tech
 

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