Kids now grow up using mobile technologies, so digital health is not shying away from reaching out to the younger generation. Children tend to be a very open-minded audience, able to absorb useful information presented to them in compelling, innovative ways.
Michael Rucker, HealthTech
Digital health strategies can engage them and help them develop healthy habits while habits are still forming. However, since this is a vulnerable and impressionable population, safety standards need to be considered, and parental support and involvement is beneficial.
Promoting Kids’ Health and Wellness
Some technologies and gadgets aimed at kids are adaptations of adult versions. For example, the Withings’ Smart Kid Scale was developed following the success of their smart weight scale for adults. The kid’s version establishes a reliable growth chart that gives parents information on their child’s growth and development simply by checking their smartphone.
Other health inventions allow children to more actively participate in the measuring and analyzing their own health, while at the same time enabling the sharing of their health information with parents. Kids can now measure their weight, activity levels and some parameters connected with certain chronic diseases. For instance, Ayogo’s Monster Manor App is a free game that encourages kids with Type 1 diabetes to check their blood sugar regularly and helps them manage their disease better.
Since young children often suffer from food allergies and intolerances, so a device that would help them test their food for allergens might prove to be very useful. A UCLA research team has developed a way to examine food using a personalized food-testing platform on a cell phone. continua a leggere