Most of us have heard the old adage, “preventative medicine is the best medicine.” What does that really mean? At the base level it means making smart decisions in our everyday lives. Would William Henry Harrison have been a great president if he had just worn his hat and coat? We’ll never know since he chose to not dress properly for his inaugural address. What can we do to live a healthier life and how do we really evaluate if those little things like taking the stairs really help? U.S. Preventive Medicine, Inc., in collaboration with Qualcomm Life Inc., has launched a new app to help those wanting to live a better life, but just need a little help along the way. The Macaw app is designed as “a complete personal health monitor” and serve as a hub to track the user’s health and fitness.
The Macaw app does not perform one function, like tracking your caloric intake or recording your walks; but is designed to assess your health, set goals, provide tracking features and integrate with The Prevention Plan for those who are members of U.S. Preventive Medicine. According to the vice president and general manager of Qualcomm Life, Rick Valencia, in the release announcement of the Macaw, “U.S. Preventive Medicine offers an outstanding clinically-based program – The Prevention Plan – that helps users manage their individual health risks and lead healthier lives. By combining this clinically-based platform with Qualcomm Life’s wireless expertise, we have transformed the smartphone into a personal health monitor.”
For those who are not members of The Preventive Plan, the Macaw app can still be a valuable and powerful tool in living a better life. As best summed up by U.S. Preventive Medicine
Unlike other available health and fitness apps, Macaw is based on the clinical science of preventive medicine and is universally designed for people who exercise regularly as well as those who are novices when it comes to physical activity. By leveraging Qualcomm Life’s expertise, Macaw will be able to transform a smartphone into the ultimate personal health hub, connecting an individual’s health apps and wireless devices for tracking weight, fitness, overall activity and biometrics – including pedometers, glucose meters, activity armbands, scales, labs, sleep managers, mobile weight loss apps and blood pressure cuffs – into a single app for complete tracking. With the initial launch, Macaw will allow integration with the Fitlinxx Actiped+ all-day activity monitor, and WorkSmart Labs’ weight loss and fitness app Noom Weight Loss. Macaw users will be able to track the progress of their activity, nutrition and health knowledge while engaging in games that unlock prizes. For members of U.S. Preventive Medicine’s The Prevention Plan, Macaw has additional features including showing the individual’s personal Prevention Score and integrating data between the mobile app and the Plan’s online health management platform.
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Macaw App features include:
– 7 questions to quickly assess your health
– GPS to track exercise
– Ability to set goals and track weight and calories
– Reminders about recommended preventive screenings based on age and gender
– Activity and knowledge cards that unlock chances for weekly prizes
Additional features for members of The Prevention Plan include:
– A link to the Prevention Score, a unique tool that tracks an individual’s prevention efforts and key health indicators throughout the year
– Activity auto-uploaded to The Prevention Plan
– Exercise, weight and calories tracked
Macaw is a free app and can be downloaded using an Apple iPhone or Google Android device or from the iPhone App Store or Android Market. No one said that living a healthier life is easy, but the Macaw app might just help you be able to practice some preventive medicine of your own.