The New Health Dialogue

I have a hard time remembering what life was like before smartphones. One thing for sure is that I enjoyed eating out more. Before I could glance at a calorie counter application on my phone and learn that my morning low-fat blueberry muffin actually has 430 calories. Or before my phone forced me to acknowledge that my favorite Cobb Salad actually weighs in at a hefty 1,245 calories. Talk about a buzz kill. But a good buzz kill, part of the push to make people more aware of their personal health and well-being.

In our elusive quest for eating in moderation, mobile applications may change the way we think about and monitor food consumption and lifestyle choices. In the New York Times recently, Lesley Alderman points to the potential of smartphone weight-loss programs, or "pocket nutritionists." As of now, there isn’t evidence to show that smartphone apps are more effective than traditional diet and exercise programs, but we do know that they can at least train us to become “smarter” food consumers and (possibly) more avid exercisers:

The apps -- which are simple, fun and often free -- help users track the number of calories and nutrients they consume, as well as the number of calories they burn. Users learn to balance calorie intake and activity in real time …

… When you track calories closely, you lose more weight, said Dr. Lawrence Cheskin, associate professor of health, behavior and society at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. But dieters who simply write down their intake at the end of each day tend to underestimate the calorie counts of thousands of foods, whether a single item like an apple or a prepared meal like a sub sandwich, which takes the guesswork out of totaling calories.

The beauty of mobile apps is that they work in real time. You eat lunch and immediately log in your meal on your phone. The apps rely on databases to record the calorie counts of thousands of foods, whether a single item like an apple or a prepared meal like a sub sandwich, which takes the guesswork out of totaling calories.

WeightWatchers, for example, has long had an online component and now it offers a mobile application to complement a subscription to Weight Watchers Online or eTools. People can access their diet plan on the go, calculate exercise or food "point" values, and browse menu items (and nutritional info) from more than 80 restaurants. Even when out to dinner, participants can gauge how many points they consume.

There are many programs out there. Some cost money, others don't. But what Lose It!, iMapMyFitness, Calorie Counter, Good Food Near You, Health Tips 1000 and the rest all have in common is that they make it easier to live a life of health and wellness -- without getting in the way of living life. As we've written several times, obesity is not just a problem of aesthetics but of economics and long-term health, too. 

A study released by the American Journal of Epidemiology tells us more about long-term social and economic consequences of obesity. The researchers discovered that adults who have been overweight since high school are more likely than adults who slowly gain weight throughout their 20s and 30s to be single, suffer a chronic health problem, have no advanced education and be unemployed or a recipient of unemployment compensation. The researchers acknowledge the "cumulative inequality that reinforces their position of social and economic disadvantage" and point out the correllation between average high school grades, weight and health. This suggests that early intervention may be a key policy and public health strategy.

And if you needed yet another reason to stay slim, Dr. Diana Kerwin of Northwestern University and colleagues recently released a study of post-menopausal women ages 65-79 as part of the Women's Health Initiative that found a link between obesity and memory.

While I'm constantly wowed by the capabilities of my smartphone, it's not magical. But it may just add an extra shade of accountability, that you can store away in your back pocket ...