Behavior Technology Laboratory
A Pennington Biomedical Research Center Laboratory
A Pennington Biomedical Research Center Laboratory
Small Steps Lead to Big Change
Z!G™, an evidence-based Smartphone app that takes a “whole health” approach, incorporating nutrition, fitness, sleep, and mental health in one app- will roll out to the public soon and will include the latest advanced technology to personalize health and training plans and guidance for users. The new app aims to help users create habits that optimize mental wellness and physical health by building skills for long term well-being and resilience.
S.C.O.R.E. App
Sport Carried Onward for Resilience & Enrichment
After sport, athletes are often left with injuries, physical and mental health challenges, and no direction on how to establish healthy habits and resilience outside the intense training and structure of their years in sport. This leaves athletes at risk for consequences such as struggles with eating habits, exercise, sleep, as well as serious mental health struggles, including depression, anxiety, and even suicidality. These consequences can last a lifetime if not addressed. The S.C.O.R.E. program aims to influence post-sport health behavior and provide an intervention program to aid in athletes’ adjustment into the world after college/elite athletics.
Army H.E.A.L.T.H.® Program
The Healthy Eating, Activity, and Lifestyle Training Headquarters (H.E.A.L.T.H.) ® program was developed in the Behavior Technology Laboratory and represents an ongoing, 18-year collaboration between PBRC and the Department of Defense. The H.E.A.L.T.H.® program is designed to aid Soldiers in maintaining healthy weight status, fitness status, combat readiness, and Warfighter performance. H.E.A.L.T.H.® also includes programming to aid Soldier’s family members in reaching overall health and fitness goals. H.E.A.L.T.H.® incorporates cutting edge interactive technology and is “portable” (e.g. Internet, Smartphone) so Soldiers and their family members can use it wherever they are in the world.
Core features of the Army H.E.A.L.T.H.® program include customized meal plans, food tracking, personalized fitness plans, a comprehensive fitness tool to build customized workouts, remote activity tracking, and resilience components, e.g. stress and anxiety management, mindfulness training. This program is currently a population based program, completely remote, and includes technology based tailoring, self-report data, and anonymous use. The program is currenlty being deployed Army-wide and can be utilized by any Soldier, anywhere.
Army H.E.A.L.T.H.® Intensive Program
To advance the mission of the Triad, the Army H.E.A.L.T.H.® Intensive program aims to combine evidenced based tools and guidance (Army H.E.A.L.T.H®) previously tested in three PBRC military studies and a new, remote clinical intervention model (individualized remote coaching model) that also includes mobile tracking technology/devices for physical activity, weight, nutrition, and sleep. The Army H.E.A.L.T.H.® Intensive program is currently being tested in a randomized pilot trial (funded by TATRC) with Soldiers and their family members. The objective is to provide an intensive program to assist Soldiers in meeting standards for body fat and fitness and to assist family members in the improvement of nutrition, fitness and sleep. The program includes; 1) An Internet/Smartphone program for weight management and weight gain prevention developed during previous DoD research, 2) Integrated remote monitoring technology/devices, e.g. smart scales, activity tracking devices, 3) Individualized weight management and exercise recommendations based on data collected from web/mobile app/devices to be delivered via web/mobile app/Smartphone; participants do not travel to a clinical facility for the program components, and 4) newly integrated resilience components, including mood, anxiety, and stress management, and mindfulness training . This program may be thought of as more of a remote wellness center/compatible model, with more intensive clinical monitoring and individualized tailoring, e.g. use of technology to collect real-time data, individual behavioral prompting to aid with goal achievement, that could be used in the context of a medical/wellness setting, e.g. primary care, dietitian, fitness services or used alone.
The iOS application incorporates both Army H.E.A.L.T.H® and Army H.E.A.L.T.H.® Intensive.
Diabetes Clinic App
The Pennington Biomedical Diabetes Clinic has a telehealth platform and app to assist patients throughout the program. This platform was modeled on evidence-based military technology and created to overcome barriers associated with healthcare access and scalability. The app include customized behavioral prompting to aid in real time behavioral decision making. Along with tailored program information, this platform includes behavior tracking, adherence measurement, care management and coordination, video and phone conferencing, AI features, and the ability to integrate wearables and health devices.
Sisu & You App
Coming Soon
Body Morph Assessment 2.0
The Body Morph Assessment 2.0 (BMA 2.0). The BMA 2.0 utilizes a computer “morph” movie of a human body. The battery consists of several morph movies. These morph movies are distinguished between gender and race (i.e. White female, White male, Black female, Black male). The image of the human body that is utilized with each subject was an image that matches the subject’s race and gender. The reliability and the validity of the BMA 2.0 have been supported (Stewart et al., 2009). The BMA 2.0 measures very small increments of changes in body size estimation. The morph demonstrates the transformation of an exceptionally thin body into an obese body. There are a total of 100 increments between the two endpoints of the thin and obese bodies. It is computer-based and self-administered.
To obtain the BMA 2.0, or for all body image inquires, please contact: tiffany.stewart@pbrc.edu