.
A good percentage of the global population is aging rapidly and co morbidities will continue to rise largely as a result of lifestyles associated with economic development such as smoking, obesity, harmful consumption of alcohol, unhealthy diet and sedentary lifestyle. Chronic diseases related to diet and nutrition presents one of the greatest public health burdens in terms of direct and indirect cost to the society and the government. The economic case for investing in preventive health is stronger than it has ever been.
According to the World Health Report 2002- Reducing Risks, Promoting Healthy Life, chronic diseases account for almost 60% of all deaths and 43% of the global burden of disease. By 2020, these figures are expected to rise to 73% and 60% respectively, yet the main risk factors associated with chronic diseases are largely preventable. Primary prevention is considered to be most cost effective and sustainable course of action in building stronger and healthier communities. As such, a paradigm shift from disease care to preventive health care is an urgent need. With innovative approaches and rapid technological advancement, opportunities exist to promote healthy living and reduce disease risk.
Such innovative approaches are bound to be disruptive to the current health care environment by responding to an increased demand for faster, easier, self-service ways to manage and improve health, making behavior and consumption choices healthier and optimizing opportunities for good health. These actions will need to be well integrated into routine service provision and healthcare processes to support the promotion of well-being and health rather than management of disease and may exist well beyond the boundaries of the health sector.
M health is a rising area in preventive healthcare. According to a report from Research2Guidance, there are more than 100,000 apps falling into the health, fitness, or medical categories. M health apps will have the one of biggest impact on healthcare system providing faster, easier and affordable access to health information and services while helping to reduce noncompliance and improve patient outcomes. Services such as nutrition, fitness, medical reference, wellness, medical condition management, diagnostics, compliance, reminders, emergency response and management and remote monitoring will be available to consumers at their convenience.
Providing an evidence base on what works, in different contexts, and at what cost, is a key element in future of preventive health. Some researchers have attempted to promote evidence based strategies on mHealth targeted at behavior change, health promotion and disease prevention. A study on the development of a mHealth behavior change system to facilitate learning, utilization, engagement, and motivation concluded that integration of behavior change best practices, mHealth technologies and flexible learning design process is necessary to improve patient’s behavior.
Another study on the development of a mHealth app that would provide consumers with quick and easy-to-understand nutrition information and support the selection of healthier choices suggested that the huge volume of crowdsourced data provided a novel means for low-cost, real-time tracking of the nutritional composition of foods. There is also a growing body of evidence on mHealth interventions in LMICs, particularly in improving adherence, appointment compliance, data gathering, and developing support networks.
Despite the undeniable benefits mHealth provides, data privacy is a major concern. A technical analysis of the data practices and privacy risks of many mHealth apps which involved reviewing mobile application privacy policies, analyzing the data apps store and the network communication between apps and the internet revealed that many apps compromise the privacy of users by sending unencrypted data disclosing personal information to app developers’ websites and third-party sites for analytic and advertising purposes. These potential tradeoffs need to be considered and more efforts will be needed in improving the privacy policies of apps to generate a wider market. To manage data privacy risk, there must be a handle on the data that’s collected, the security of data transfer, and all third parties accessing the mobile application.
The use of genetic data to monitor individuals’ risk factors and predict the onset of chronic disease is another key element in the future of preventive health. Technological advances have been made in the determination of genetic predisposition to disease with growing interest in the application of genetic tests in predicting risk for disease. This prediction is expected to delay or prevent the onset of disease by encouraging individuals to get screened earlier and more frequently or undergo preventive surgery. However, a major limitation is the potential of genetic tests that are not valid or useful to cause harm by prompting inappropriate changes in medical care based on incomplete or incorrect information.
Promoting personalized preventive strategies may be the standard in coming years given the need to enhance health for a reduced cost. While some have made the economic argument for preventive care by highlighting the possibility of reducing healthcare spending and its appeal to both the public and policy makers, others have critiqued its cost effectiveness stating that it is inherently no better than disease care. While the health value for preventive care may be apparent, it still faces unique challenges in demonstrating its economic value. Behavior change is a difficult process, and once modified, may take a while to demonstrate health and economic benefits. In addition, the large number of people who may need to receive preventive care so a few can be spared of disease may limit economic savings. Nevertheless, preventive healthcare strategies hold the key to improved health outcomes. Short term cost may rise with initial investment; however, long term savings are undeniable.
Shifting the paradigm to preventive health will require a new mindset, one in which measurements are taken to define the status of a person’s health and not to establish a diagnosis. Innovative ideas, cross sector partnership and multi-disciplinary research will be critical in moving towards an effective, efficient and evidence based system that promotes preventive health and wellbeing of populations, reduces health inequalities, strengthens public health and ensures sustainable health systems.
About the Author: Foluso Ishola has a medical degree from Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria and Master’s Degree in Public Health from London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. She is the Co-Founder of Global Youth Coalition against Cancer, an Emerging Global Leader Initiative- Atlas Corps Fellow and Program Fellow at Susan G Komen.
The views presented in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent the views of any other organization.
a global affairs media network
The Future of Preventive Health and Wellbeing
Digital human brain
June 3, 2016
A good percentage of the global population is aging rapidly and co morbidities will continue to rise largely as a result of lifestyles associated with economic development such as smoking, obesity, harmful consumption of alcohol, unhealthy diet and sedentary lifestyle. Chronic diseases related to diet and nutrition presents one of the greatest public health burdens in terms of direct and indirect cost to the society and the government. The economic case for investing in preventive health is stronger than it has ever been.
According to the World Health Report 2002- Reducing Risks, Promoting Healthy Life, chronic diseases account for almost 60% of all deaths and 43% of the global burden of disease. By 2020, these figures are expected to rise to 73% and 60% respectively, yet the main risk factors associated with chronic diseases are largely preventable. Primary prevention is considered to be most cost effective and sustainable course of action in building stronger and healthier communities. As such, a paradigm shift from disease care to preventive health care is an urgent need. With innovative approaches and rapid technological advancement, opportunities exist to promote healthy living and reduce disease risk.
Such innovative approaches are bound to be disruptive to the current health care environment by responding to an increased demand for faster, easier, self-service ways to manage and improve health, making behavior and consumption choices healthier and optimizing opportunities for good health. These actions will need to be well integrated into routine service provision and healthcare processes to support the promotion of well-being and health rather than management of disease and may exist well beyond the boundaries of the health sector.
M health is a rising area in preventive healthcare. According to a report from Research2Guidance, there are more than 100,000 apps falling into the health, fitness, or medical categories. M health apps will have the one of biggest impact on healthcare system providing faster, easier and affordable access to health information and services while helping to reduce noncompliance and improve patient outcomes. Services such as nutrition, fitness, medical reference, wellness, medical condition management, diagnostics, compliance, reminders, emergency response and management and remote monitoring will be available to consumers at their convenience.
Providing an evidence base on what works, in different contexts, and at what cost, is a key element in future of preventive health. Some researchers have attempted to promote evidence based strategies on mHealth targeted at behavior change, health promotion and disease prevention. A study on the development of a mHealth behavior change system to facilitate learning, utilization, engagement, and motivation concluded that integration of behavior change best practices, mHealth technologies and flexible learning design process is necessary to improve patient’s behavior.
Another study on the development of a mHealth app that would provide consumers with quick and easy-to-understand nutrition information and support the selection of healthier choices suggested that the huge volume of crowdsourced data provided a novel means for low-cost, real-time tracking of the nutritional composition of foods. There is also a growing body of evidence on mHealth interventions in LMICs, particularly in improving adherence, appointment compliance, data gathering, and developing support networks.
Despite the undeniable benefits mHealth provides, data privacy is a major concern. A technical analysis of the data practices and privacy risks of many mHealth apps which involved reviewing mobile application privacy policies, analyzing the data apps store and the network communication between apps and the internet revealed that many apps compromise the privacy of users by sending unencrypted data disclosing personal information to app developers’ websites and third-party sites for analytic and advertising purposes. These potential tradeoffs need to be considered and more efforts will be needed in improving the privacy policies of apps to generate a wider market. To manage data privacy risk, there must be a handle on the data that’s collected, the security of data transfer, and all third parties accessing the mobile application.
The use of genetic data to monitor individuals’ risk factors and predict the onset of chronic disease is another key element in the future of preventive health. Technological advances have been made in the determination of genetic predisposition to disease with growing interest in the application of genetic tests in predicting risk for disease. This prediction is expected to delay or prevent the onset of disease by encouraging individuals to get screened earlier and more frequently or undergo preventive surgery. However, a major limitation is the potential of genetic tests that are not valid or useful to cause harm by prompting inappropriate changes in medical care based on incomplete or incorrect information.
Promoting personalized preventive strategies may be the standard in coming years given the need to enhance health for a reduced cost. While some have made the economic argument for preventive care by highlighting the possibility of reducing healthcare spending and its appeal to both the public and policy makers, others have critiqued its cost effectiveness stating that it is inherently no better than disease care. While the health value for preventive care may be apparent, it still faces unique challenges in demonstrating its economic value. Behavior change is a difficult process, and once modified, may take a while to demonstrate health and economic benefits. In addition, the large number of people who may need to receive preventive care so a few can be spared of disease may limit economic savings. Nevertheless, preventive healthcare strategies hold the key to improved health outcomes. Short term cost may rise with initial investment; however, long term savings are undeniable.
Shifting the paradigm to preventive health will require a new mindset, one in which measurements are taken to define the status of a person’s health and not to establish a diagnosis. Innovative ideas, cross sector partnership and multi-disciplinary research will be critical in moving towards an effective, efficient and evidence based system that promotes preventive health and wellbeing of populations, reduces health inequalities, strengthens public health and ensures sustainable health systems.
About the Author: Foluso Ishola has a medical degree from Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria and Master’s Degree in Public Health from London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. She is the Co-Founder of Global Youth Coalition against Cancer, an Emerging Global Leader Initiative- Atlas Corps Fellow and Program Fellow at Susan G Komen.
The views presented in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent the views of any other organization.
