BACKED BY HUMANA INC. AND CARD GUARD, SENSEI LAUNCHES THE NEXT GENERATION OF HEALTH AND WEIGHT-LOSS MANAGEMENT AIMING TO LOWER NATION’S OBESITY RATES AND CONSUMER HEALTHCARE COSTS - Nov 14, 2007
BACKED BY HUMANA INC. AND CARD GUARD, SENSEI LAUNCHES THE NEXT GENERATION OF HEALTH AND WEIGHT-LOSS MANAGEMENT AIMING TO LOWER NATION’S OBESITY RATES AND CONSUMER HEALTHCARE COSTS
Innovative Solution Transforms Mobile Phone into a Personal Digital Coach, Empowering Consumers to Improve Their Health and Well-Being; Program Initially Available to Sprint and AT&T Users
BOCA RATON, FL, November 14, 2007 – Sensei Inc. (www.sensei.com), a pioneer in mobile and
Web-based wellness solutions, today introduced a next-generation approach to health and weight
management with a program that lets consumers turn their mobile phone into their own “personal digital coach (PDC).” For employers facing rising health care costs and declining productivity due to weightmanagement problems, as well as for consumers in search of long-lasting results, Sensei for Weight LossTM represents a practical and sustainable solution.
The program follows a holistic approach to weight loss and management, delivering customized meal
recommendations, weekly shopping lists, fitness information and motivational messages to a user’s
mobile phone display or personal Web page – prompting consumers at point-of-decision moments to
make healthier choices. The service is currently available to Sprint and AT&T mobile phone users.
Based on the science of behavioral informatics – the use of technology to promote behavior change –
Sensei for Weight LossTM empowers and educates users to develop healthy eating habits. Unlike the rigid “calorie-counting” techniques of conventional weight-loss tools, the Sensei program is built around the individual needs and daily lifestyle of the user. This approach results from more than two years of development by Sensei psychologists, physicians, nutritionists and engineers.
“Sensei is leveraging technology to provide each user with the right information at the right time,” said Dr. Robert Schwarzberg, Sensei president and chief executive officer. “For the 90 million Americans trying to lose weight, Sensei’s ‘real time, real world’ approach is a stark contrast from other programs and fads. We connect with consumers on a very personal, very genuine level. It’s because of that connection that we succeed in helping people make healthy lifestyle changes.”
With health and wellness solutions as its primary focus, Sensei was formed in 2005 by Humana Inc.
(NYSE:HUM) — one of the nation’s largest publicly traded health benefits companies — and Card Guard
AG (SWX:CARDG), the leading developer, manufacturer and marketer of innovative healthcare
technologies and solutions. These two healthcare leaders have lent their support to Sensei, considering
the dramatic health consequences and significant economic burden that obesity poses to individuals and corporations. Obese and overweight employees cost companies $1,500 per annum in increased
healthcare and related costs.* These employees also have twice as many workers comp claims and
have 13 more days off than their non-overweight counterparts.**
The Sensei Approach
The Sensei program draws on both Web and mobile technologies to personalize interaction with the
user, maximize convenience and, ultimately, increase the user’s prospects for weight-management
success.
The experience begins online, where users enter their desired weight, food preferences, eating habits,
meal times, exercise routines and other personal information. Sensei’s expert system then works with the user to generate a realistic, customized nutrition and fitness plan. Throughout the day, Sensei for Weight LossTM delivers interactive messages to the user’s mobile phone with specific recommendations,reminders and motivational tips. The program also records the user’s eating choices and fitness activities, and automatically tracks progress toward defined goals.
Sensei for Weight LossTM even accommodates the spur-of-the-moment menu changes that challenge
most dieters. For example, if a user plans a home-made lunch but then decides to eat out, Sensei for
Weight LossTM can recommend an alternative meal that fits within the user’s nutrition plan – and deliver the recommendation instantly, via the user’s mobile phone. Sensei is based on Social Cognitive Theory (SCT), a powerful framework that promotes behavior change by addressing cognitive, emotional and environmental factors. As a result, the program addresses multiple influences that affect behavioral
patterns to promote and support long-term success.
To enroll in Sensei For Weight Loss™ or for additional information, visit www.sensei.com.
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About Sensei
Headquartered in Boca Raton, FL, Sensei Inc. is a developer of innovative mobile and Web-based
solutions that motivate and empower consumers to take charge of their well-being. Future programs that are planned include solutions for diabetes, hypertension, smoking, cardiovascular risk, stress and
asthma.
