Seeking to empower citizens, the Carlos III National Center of the Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CNIC) has presented the Circle of Health, a mobile application that arose from the need to teach citizens to monitor their cardiovascular risk factors.
CNIC looks to promote health through ICTs and given that cardiovascular pathologies are the leading cause of mortality in the world, it has created an interactive method to promote a healthier lifestyle. In fact, the app seeks to eradicate six common and modifiable factors: cholesterol and diabetes (chemical), obesity and blood pressure (physical), and tobacco consumption and lack of physical exercise (behavioral).
“I think that the promotion of health is something that needs a positive approach and so we have stopped using the term ‘disease prevention’. The message is that we can all do much more to be healthier and the addition of this new tool is undoubtedly good news for society,” said Dr. Valentín Fuster, Director General of CNIC.
The mobile application is divided into several phases:
1. Evaluation
This stage offers the ability to check the state of the users’ cardiovascular health. And as the result is never definitive, it emphasizes the importance of consulting a specialist doctor.
2. Information
This stage explains the key ways of preventing risk factors.
3. Motivation
This stage proposes abandoning unhealthy habits and acquiring ones that are good for your health.
4. Activation
This stage includes advice about specific activities grouped into weekly challenges. The idea is for users to improve their health along with their family and friends.
The Circle of Health was designed to have extremely visually attractive interfaces and includes multimedia content. “Our intention is for this app to reach the maximum number of people possible and to contribute to the proliferation of healthy habits among the general population,” said Luis de Carlos, the President of the Pro CNIC Foundation.
The initiative, directed by Fuster and developed by the company WakeApp Health, is available for free at the Google Play and Apple Stores.
