Digitalization – Paving Way to Obesity Management

Obesity is a condition in which immoderate fat accumulates in the body, causing health risks. Management of weight is crucial to restrict this condition, which includes changing lifestyle (dieting, behavioral changes, and physical exercise), taking prescribed medications, or surgery. Management programs can show the weight loss effect in the short term or long term. There is an increased awareness among individuals regarding the importance of weight management to avoid the underlying effects. Due to the rapid emergence of start-ups, innovative technologies and changing trends, the social needs of the people are also changing. These changes are paving the way for absorbing digital disruptions in obesity and weight management.

Consequences of Overweight and Obesity

As per the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 1 billion people are obese globally. It includes 39 million children, 340 million adolescents, and approximately 650 million adults. According to the organization, 167 million people, including children and adults, will become unhealthy by 2025. Individuals with a BMI over 30 are considered obese. The problem of obesity incurs a cost of nearly 2.8% of the global gross domestic product (GDP) every year. Obesity comes with a bouquet of repercussions for health. These include increased risk of stroke, heart attack, diabetes, sleep apnea, liver disease, and kidney failure, among many more. In addition, it is one of the reasons for the increasing death rate. According to “Jackson Heart Study,” obesity is associated with an increased risk of overall cardiovascular disease (CVD) related mortality. Thus, obesity management is quite essential.

The occurrence of obesity has escalated to epidemic levels, leading to the demise of more than 4 million individuals annually due to excessive weight or obesity. The consequences of obesity are not confined to affluent nations alone, as the prevalence of overweight and obesity is rapidly surging in low- and middle-income countries, especially in urban areas.

Obesity Management Options

Obesity management is a weight loss program in the patient through surgical or non-surgical methods.

Surgical or invasive methods involve removing or modifying the full or part of an organ to achieve weight loss. In contrast, non-surgical methods involve techniques that can be carried out in less time and invasion in an outpatient procedure, self-administered intervention, or inpatient intervention.

Information & Communication Technology

The rapid advancement of technology has evolved the weight management segment in recent years. Digital weight loss and E-health solutions have become increasingly popular, changing how people access weight loss programs.

Immense development in information and communications technology has paved the way for smartphone devices that support 4G and 5G mobile networks. These devices provide a new edge in healthcare innovation. They enable the concept of “self-management” for obesity control through self-monitoring healthcare devices.

The use of technology for obesity management has shown notable benefits in recent years. The latest treatment and personalized follow-up strategies are delivered through portable devices, web-based platforms, and wearable tracking devices. Wearable sensors, educational support, and online counseling help transform the challenging weight loss journey by monitoring various psychological parameters and offering personalized advice to patients.

Digital weight loss programs, like Zanadio, have been created to allow individuals suffering from obesity to engage in digital, multimodal weight management programs. These programs provide instant access to treatment and tackle the obstacles linked to conventional on-site care programs.

Obesity Management: Emerging Opportunities & Futuristic Solutions

• Fitness trackers – Helps an individual to keep track of their body movements throughout the day and night. The devices also help keep track of other vitals such as diet, hydration, and physiological parameters like heart rate, temperature, and blood pressure. E.g.,: Amazon Halo Band, Fitbit Charge, Jawbone UP 3, Аdidas MiCoach pacer tracker
• Sleep trackers – According to a study by Harvard Medical School, sleeping late is associated with obesity and potbellies. Lack of proper night’s rest causes people to eat more, be less motivated, and gain weight. Sleep trackers monitor physiological metrics and sleep states, revealing factors like sleep interruption by breathing disturbances leading to poor sleep quality.
• Behavior Tracker: It allows individuals to monitor their food intake, exercise routine, and body weight. Thus, giving them a graphical representation of their advancement and aiding them in being responsible for their objectives can boost their drive.
• Smart scales – Besides weight, smart scales help measure various stats, like body fat percentage, bone mass, and muscle mass. These provide a bigger picture of a person’s health and help them see changes that are not reflected in kilograms alone. This enables practitioners to monitor crucial changes in patient health remotely. These provide detailed statistical information regarding the users’ visceral fat, body fat percentage, and body weight to the users. E.g., Omron Body Fat Loss Monitor, Fitbit Aria 2 Wi-Fi Smart Scale, Withings Body+ Analyzer, etc.

• Food scanners – A 2019 study indicated that frequent dietary self-monitoring is related to successful weight loss. Food trackers enable individuals to easily track their daily food consumption and monitor the quality of ingredients they consume. By counting the number of calories consumed, a person becomes more aware of their food intake quality and quantity and is more likely to stick to their goals. E.g., Fooducate
• Mobile applications – Mobile phone or smartphone-based tools are virtual grounds that provide a chance to deliver weight management programs to users with limited access to health care. It allows healthcare professionals to provide individualized treatment and remote monitoring of individuals. E.g., myfitnesspal
• Telehealth: Telehealth technologies allow individuals with obesity to receive specialized care and support through remote consultations and monitoring. This provides access to healthcare services that may not be available in their local area.
• Wearable Devices: Wearable sensors and devices enable the remote monitoring of several indicators, including heart rate, physical activity, and other pertinent metrics, for obese individuals.
• Mobile Health Apps: Mobile health apps offer tools for tracking diet, physical activity, and weight, as well as providing educational support and reminders to promote behavior changes and weight loss.

Obesity Management: Latest Digital Disruptive Innovations

• An electronic muscle stimulator or EMS Technology is a device that creates automatic muscle contraction through electric impulses. It helps to cut additional pounds. E.g., Compex Edge Muscle Stimulators, Flex Belt Abdominal Muscle Toner, 6-in-1 Fat Remove Machine, etc.
• Hand-held or portable body fat analyzers are placed on the part of a muscle that the user wants to analyze. E.g., Skulpt Aim determines the overall body fat percentage and relative strength and quality of 24 different muscle groups.
• Using cold thermogenesis technology or cryolipolysis, or fat freezing method, a gel pack and wrap can target particular areas for weight reduction by cooling the fat within a particular range of temperatures that causes cell death of the subcutaneous fat tissue without damaging the overlying skin. E.g., the Isavera Fat Freezing System

Digital Weight Management Market

The digital weight management market serves nearly 1.5 billion people globally and is expected to generate more revenue in the future. With nearly 4,000 vendors in the digital weight management market, it is a lucrative segment for investment.

The digital weight management market includes segments like devices and services.

1. Leading market players offering digital weight management services are WW International, Under Armour, Noom, Yazio, BetterMe, Lifesum, Verv, Livongo Health, Omada Health, and Lark.
2. The prominent industry participants in the wearable health technology for obesity management segment include Apple, Samsung, Fitbit, Xiaomi, Huawei, Garmin, etc.

With the support of fast-paced technological advancements, non-medical options like mobile applications and wearable technology have become the front-runners in the domain of self-health management. Additionally, mobile applications for weight management help individuals monitor their diet and physical activity and set goals in specified periods. These applications also provide feedback and reminders on a person’s daily activities in the form of in-app reminders or text messages.

Moreover, a recent study showed that mobile health applications have tremendous results in supporting successful weight management among individuals. In addition, factors like tracking positive results, paying for the apps, and identifying streaks in data recording help motivate individuals to continue using them and successfully manage weight reduction.

Obesity Management: COVID-19 Relationship

The COVID-19 pandemic has aggravated the obesity problem that has already accelerated rapidly in the last decade. An increase in sedentary behavior, stress, and inconveniences such as income and job loss typically fuel this, making healthy eating more difficult. Additionally, the pandemic has significantly influenced the health of both individuals and the healthcare system, making people more vulnerable to hospitalization and death from COVID-19.

Moreover, obese patients have shown worse outcomes with COVID-19 disease. It includes respiratory failure, the requirement for mechanical ventilation, and higher mortality. Furthermore, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that there are higher chances of COVID-19 complications for individuals with heart disease and diabetes.

To lessen the obesity crisis during the pandemic, some research organizations offer free online training on healthy food and drink, healthy diets and recipes, online ordering of healthy food, and fitness tracking.

Future Steps For Obesity Management

Obesity induces the development of various chronic conditions and non-communicable diseases. Healthcare providers widely utilize telehealth and mHealth. They deliver medical services and monitor health parameters and behaviors using them. They also reduce barriers to effective obesity treatment faced by patients and health professionals. Moreover, they improve access to treatment and ultimately improve long-term weight management and obesity-related health outcomes. Machine learning and artificial intelligence are playing an increasingly important role in healthcare. They are offering a range of opportunities to treat obesity. Additionally, analysis of large datasets from electronic health records will allow us to understand the complexities of obesity better. It will help improve patient assessment and lead to more precise approaches to obesity management.

Digital health technologies can potentially improve the quality, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness of care for obese patients now and in the future. In the near future, the most important digital advancement in obesity care will be the increased use of telemedicine. Motion sensors, panic buttons, and door sensors have applications in hospitals, rest homes, and home settings. They enhance safety and security for individuals.