Healthcare Technology Featured Article

October 27, 2011

Consumers Turning to Wireless Technologies and Diet Gadgets to Improve Health, Lose Weight


Use of technologies and gadgets today to improve consumer health and wellness is on the rise. Increasingly connected users are looking to tools that will help them gain control and become better informed about their personal health.

A study this week by the Consumer Electronics Association, CEA, looked at consumer perceptions and attitudes with using technology products for health and wellness and found that consumers are open to using new gadgets and technologies to communicate with doctors and improve their overall health. Chief among their motives – weightloss and nutritional guidance.

Forty-four percent of respondents said they were interested in body weight scales; 40 percent said vital sign meters and gauges were of interest, and 37 percent noted that devices that record progress through a fitness plan were key.

As the nation’s obesity epidemic continues to climb, the results of the survey shed some light on the fact that consumers are now trying to take back control of their physical well being and weight.

 According to Ben Arnold, senior research analyst at CEA, improvements in mobile health and fitness apps will foster an increase in their ownership. "Consumers value the ability of such apps to analyze data and provide recommendations that can motivate behavioral changes," Arnold said.

Behavioral changes can also be made through the introduction of new gadgets and products to support and ensure proper nutritional goals are being met.

For those using an online nutrition diary – accurate recording of the amount of food consumed during a meal can be detrimental to weightloss.

MealMeasure.com, a MN- based company is making it far easier for people to attain those proper portions with their “MealMeasure” product.

This patent-pending, dietitian recommended gadget is easy to use and follows the USDA’s “My Plate” serving size guidelines.

According to company officials, the product will help users take “portion control on your own plate” and make accurate measurements needed for weightloss much easier to attain.

MealMeasure fits right onto a standard sized dinner plate and measures food right on the plate itself – with one and one half cup measurements marked clearly on the product.

In addition, each of the cavities is labeled “vegetable” or “fruit,” “starch” and “protein.”

Your truly had a chance to try the product out over this past week and the difference of portions sizes versus accurate measuring and guessing – is pretty alarming.

The product assists users with confidently recording food intake for the day and by keeping MealMeasure in the pantry with the dishes, makes its easy to remember to use when serving a plate. I found its also much less hassle then pulling out different measuring spoons and cups for each portion or trying to guess the size of a deck of cards.

This product combined with the use of mobile apps or online tools for calculating daily caloric intake and expenditures provides promising possibilities for combating weight problems that plague so many of us today.


Stefania Viscusi is an assignment editor for HealthTechZone, covering voice and Voice over IP technologies. She also oversees production of HealthTechZone's e-Newsletters in the areas of Internet telephony and speech technology. To read more of Stefania's articles, please visit her columnist page.

Edited by Stefania Viscusi
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