Currently, more than one third of American adults are considered obese and 71 percent are considered overweight, putting a large portion of the population at increased risk of diabetes, stroke and other health complications.With obesity proving to be a growing issue, researchers and healthcare providers are employing digital tools and health technology to better monitor predictors of obesity and encourage weight loss.Mobile Apps Make Weight Loss PossibleMaintaining a healthy weight is an essential part of limiting health risks, but anyone will tell you that it isnt easy to tip the numbers on the scale. However, digital tools could prove to be another tool in the healthcare providers toolbox to help encourage weight loss.The Journal of Medical Internet Research recently published a study from the University of California, San Francisco, that shows the effectiveness of digital tools in encouraging weight loss through an app designed by health coaching startup Vida Health.During a trial of the mobile app, 28.6 percent of participants lost an average of 9.5 percent of their body weight and were able to reverse diseases such as high blood pressure and hypertension. Participants in a control group that did not use the digital tools lost just 4 percent of their body weight on average.We attribute our success to combining a human touch with evidence-based clinical programs and advanced machine learning technology, Stephanie Tilenius, Vida Health CEO, tells MobiHealthNews. This allows us to understand the complexity of chronic disease and what it takes to truly change behaviors.

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