Sadly, Indiana as a state consistently ranks poorly for overall health. While studies vary and there is some discrepancy about Indiana’s actual ranking on several key indicators, there is little disagreement that collectively, as a state, we generally fall toward the bottom in many areas affecting people’s health. For instance, a recent study derived from CDC and U.S. Census Bureau data on Indiana’s health status as measured by factors including drug overdose deaths, alcohol misuse, physical inactivity, immunizations and more, placed Indiana 41st.
One substantive way to address at least some of Indiana’s health concerns lies in providing tools that can help Indiana residents improve healthful behaviors.
Enter the partnership among Regenstrief Institute, LifeOmic and the Indiana Clinical and Translational Science Institute to expand the “All IN for Health program.” Through the dynamic collaboration of these institutions, All IN for Health participants now have access to complementary tools to enhance their health journey via the LIFE Extend app. This opportunity builds upon the current partnership among Indiana University, Regenstrief Institute and LifeOmic to create technology solutions that improve health as part of the Indiana University Grand Challenge Precision Health Initiative.
All IN for Health’s goal is to engage at least 100,000 Hoosiers who are striving to take better control of their health and seek prevention-focused avenues to achieve and maintain better health. All IN for Health also gives residents the opportunity to learn about and participate in clinical research studies that will benefit individuals in Indiana and around the world.
First, if you live in Indiana, I want to encourage you to consider joining the effort. Second, I’d love it if you could help us spread the word by referring people to check out our new app at: https://allin4health.info/app/.
The All IN for Health initiative, via the LIFE Extend app, seeks to reach individuals of different genders, races, ethnicities and ages in cities, suburbs, towns and rural areas throughout the state. Given our state’s poor health ranking, we need All IN for Health because we owe it to Hoosiers to help them improve and maintain their health.
One of our goals is to have app users and study volunteers recognize themselves not as research “subjects,” but as health and research partners in our State — signaling a new paradigm that creates a two-way relationship and communication mechanism for connecting residents with health and research leaders across our State’s academic and healthcare institutions. Of course, data and information security is must also be and will always remain a primary consideration, and on this front, people can be reassured by LifeOmic’s state-of-the-art infrastructure that underlies the app, and users’ ability to opt in or out of opportunities to share data at any time.
One of the main goals of All IN for Health and the new app is to help Indiana residents become healthier and maintain successes like eating better and exercising more, as well as becoming more aware of health recommendations such as being screened for certain cancers based on recommendations for a person’s age, gender, personal risk, etc. Also, this isn’t like many other apps or online tools you may have heard about or even tried. LifeExtend has been developed from evidence about what keeps people healthy. The app engages and educates users and potentially informs future clinical decisions.
The Life Extend app is the first precision health app anywhere designed to improve health with evidence-based pillars including physical activity, nutrition, mindfulness and sleep. The app utilizes artificial intelligence (AI) based on algorithms developed by institutions like Regenstrief to recommend personalized ways to improve health, with suggestions for physical exercise and reminders for mindful habits. It also offers a timeline to help people track their progress.
And individuals will not be on this journey alone. Through the “Circles” feature, the Life Extend app allows users to engage with family, friends and groups they select as they set and share health goals.
The Life Extend app is the second product of the LIFE apps portfolio built by LifeOmic in conjunction with Regenstrief. The first app, which focuses on fasting, already is helping nearly 750,000 users establish and maintain healthy habits.
I am optimistic and excited about engaging Indiana residents in All IN for Health. This program could potentially help all residents of our state actively take part in improving their well-being, while also hastening health discoveries and achieving our overall goal of making Indiana a healthier state. I invite you to check it out and join us on the journey.
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