Fitbit extended its partnership with Solera Health, an integrated benefit network, to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes by using the Fitbit platform through Solera Health’s innovative model to encourage people to adopt positive behavior, such as increased physical activity and weight loss.
Type 2 diabetes is an epidemic that requires global attention and urgent action. Worldwide, the number of people with diabetes has risen from 108 million in 1980 to 422 million in 2014. In the United States, type 2 diabetes affects more than 30 million adults and costs the country approximately $327 billion annually in direct medical expenses and lost productivity. Yet, the onset of disease can be delayed – or even prevented – among the 84 million U.S. adults at high risk for developing type 2 diabetes. Following a healthy diet and exercising regularly can reduce a person’s risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Beginning in 2017, Solera began offering Fitbit devices to individuals who used Solera to enroll in community-based or digital Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP). An analysis of more than 1,700 participants who enrolled in the National DPP through the Solera network, showed individuals who redeemed a Fitbit device were more active and lost more weight during the program than those who did not. Now, the companies are making the latest Fitbit devices, Fitbit Inspire and Inspire HR, available to all Solera DPP participants, including Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, said a press release.
“Our unique ability to connect individuals with the best-fit DPP to meet their needs and preferences, paired with Fitbit’s easy-to-use wearable devices, has the potential to significantly alter how populations approach chronic disease prevention and management. We look forward to scaling this partnership further in order to help future program participants maintain and improve their health,” said Brenda Schmidt, CEO of Solera Health.
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Adam Pellegrini, general manager, Fitbit Health Solutions, said his company has spent the last 12 years empowering people to live healthier lives, and they believe that a proactive approach is crucial to the prevention and management of type 2 diabetes. “We are focused on addressing some of the most common and costly conditions in healthcare – and diabetes is a top priority. Through our work with Solera over the past two years, we have shown that Solera’s model, based on proven health outcomes, coupled with our innovative devices, motivating platform and proven behavior change principles, is an effective combination for preventing type 2 diabetes,” he said.
