KEEPING THE WEIGHT OFF

摘要

OBESITY TAKES A DECADE OFF A PERSON'S life span, on average, and it afflicts a third of Americans. That means it's on track to rob the current U.S. population of a billion years of life. Dr. Jamy Ard wants to use digital technology to win some of those years back. Patients who participate in the weight-loss program he runs at Wake Forest Baptist Health in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, get a digital scale for home that transmits daily weigh-ins to Ard and his team. It also tracks physical activity, food choices, water intake, sleep and other factors. Average weight loss after six months is 10 percent of body weight, and 44 percent of patients lose 15 percent of body weight or more. "If we're going to move the needle on prevention and cost savings, we've got to figure out how to deliver treatment strategies at scale while still maintaining an individual approach to each patient," he says. Ard spoke with Newsweek contributor David Freedman about the opportunities in integrating obesity management and digital health.