Motivating people to change their health behaviors is a tricky feat, but people sure are trying. In fact, the number of fitness tracking applications and workplace wellness companies that exist today is staggering, to the point where I simply can’t keep track of them all anymore. So many of them are so similar, too, using some mix of education, social networking and incentives to encourage people to make healthier life choices.
But are they working in achieving the ultimate goal of a healthier society? Maybe there are opportunities to drive behavior change that aren’t yet being tapped to their full potential. That was part of the conversation that emerged during today’s health IT social media Twitter chat. Some really interesting ideas were presented — what if more buildings were designed to encourage the use of stairs rather than elevators? What if instead of focusing on curing the elderly the industry focused on establishing better habits in the young?
And, critically, what will it take to overcome these challenges when the financial interests of the industry and healthcare consumers aren’t aligned? Check out some of the most thoughtful ideas below.
[View the story “Driving behavior change in health” on Storify]
[Photo from BigStock Photos]
