[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":296},["ShallowReactive",2],{"slug-machine-learning-and-baseball":3},{"post":4,"relatedPosts":167,"relatedBooks":295},{"id":5,"date":6,"date_gmt":7,"guid":8,"modified":10,"modified_gmt":11,"slug":12,"status":13,"type":14,"link":15,"title":16,"content":18,"excerpt":21,"author":23,"featured_media":24,"comment_status":25,"ping_status":25,"sticky":26,"template":27,"format":28,"meta":29,"categories":30,"tags":32,"project_category":40,"contact_email_category":43,"yst_prominent_words":44,"class_list":53,"better_featured_image":70,"acf":102,"yoast_meta":111,"_links":114},36675,"2021-10-28T10:22:55","2021-10-28T08:22:55",{"rendered":9},"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002F?post_id=36675&_wpnonce=4ec198b0c7&status=auto-draft&type=post","2021-10-29T00:04:12","2021-10-28T22:04:12","machine-learning-and-baseball","publish","post","https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fmachine-learning-and-baseball",{"rendered":17},"Baseball And Machine Learning – How Baseball Helps Predict The Future?",{"rendered":19,"protected":20},"\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>I am a huge fan of data. It gives me solid ground and helps me be motivated – I even had an \u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fthe-one-year-excel-spreadsheet-experiment-that-changed-my-life\u002F\" target=\"_blank\">\u003Cstrong>Excel Spreadsheet Experiment That Changed My Lifestyle\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cstrong>. I’m also a huge sports geek, and I follow everything from curling to darts, from snooker to football – and during quarantine, I found the perfect brew of sports and data. Baseball.\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>I’m not kidding here. Watching and analysing baseball in fact made me get better at forecasting – and I’m going to show you how.\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Chr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\u002F>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Data-based approach changed baseball\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Baseball has always been at the forefront of using data-based metrics in evaluating games or players. But until the early 2000s, baseball was a game mainly won by rich teams that could afford to buy the best players. Traditionally, as with all other sports, baseball scouts were travelling around, looking at players, determining who are gems and who are busts. But their method was flawed in a very human way. Scouts often privileged recent performances over long-term trends and relied too much on feelings and intuition over analytics.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>In a move known to us from the book and the Brad Pitt movie \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.imdb.com\u002Ftitle\u002Ftt1210166\u002F\" target=\"_blank\">Moneyball\u003C\u002Fa>, Oakland Athletics decided to algorithmically determine a player’s value – and, due to their low budget, look for undervalued players at the draft instead of the stars they couldn’t have bought anyway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\u003Cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-large\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"480\" height=\"240\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2021\u002F10\u002Fcinemablend.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-36677\"\u002F>\u003Cfigcaption>Moneyball (2011)\u003C\u002Ffigcaption>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\u003C\u002Fdiv>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Their approach was extremely brave – and proved to be extremely successful. Instead of looking at throwing, fielding, hitting and running, they started to pay attention to \u003Cstrong>\u003Cem>“on-base percentage”\u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fstrong> – something the rest of the league didn’t pay much attention to. They bought players who seemed to be a bust to the eye, but gems according to the numbers. And that small, out-of-money, and out-of-luck club started winning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Ever since, a data-oriented approach has been ruling baseball, not only in drafts but in their everydays, from Major League level to high schools. (Watch the movie and you’ll get the picture.)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">From data to insights\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Baseball is unique in the sense among sports that data is so relevant that if you give a skilled spectator a player datasheet, s\u002Fhe’ll be able to outline the player’s profile. The massive amount of baseball data that is collected today changes not only the way games and players are evaluated – but also how they are watched.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Easily-measurable data points like batting average (AVG) and earned run average (ERA) are obviously measured, but combined features tell amazing insights for savvy eyes. OPS, OBG, SLG, WHIP – these are all abbreviations used in baseball and provide such detailed insights – check out \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.mlb.com\u002Fglossary\u002Fstandard-stats\u002F\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Major League Baseball’s stats glossary\u003C\u002Fa> on these for more information.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>The same goes for the games – with enough data, one can outline what will happen on the field. \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.hawkeyeinnovations.com\u002Fsports\u002Fbaseball\" target=\"_blank\">Hawk-Eye Innovations\u003C\u002Fa> turns camera recordings into visualisations and data that is translated into endless rows of field, player and team data. No other sport does that on such a high level.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003Cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n\u003Ciframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Hawk eye ball tracking broadcast enhancement\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.youtube.com\u002Fembed\u002FqCENpz665p4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen>\u003C\u002Fiframe>\n\u003C\u002Fdiv>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Baseball and Machine Learning\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Today \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.stuyspec.com\u002Fsports\u002Fprofessional-sports\u002Fthe-next-moneyball-artificial-intelligence-in-baseball\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">all teams leverage A.I.\u003C\u002Fa> in their planning, draft strategy, training\u002Fwellbeing or evaluation. All teams use Statcast, an A.I. analytics platform, also licensed to ESPN. Exactly \u003Cem>how\u003C\u002Fem> teams make use of the gargantuan amount of data provided, is kept totally under blankets – it’s among their best-kept secrets.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Statcast is provided by \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Faws.amazon.com\u002Fstatcastai\u002F\" target=\"_blank\">Amazon Web Services\u003C\u002Fa> using Amazon’s machine learning data, and was proven so effective that as of July 2021 even Formula-1 team \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.businesswire.com\u002Fnews\u002Fhome\u002F20210617005933\u002Fen\u002FFerrari-Selects-AWS-as-its-Official-Cloud-Provider-to-Power-Innovation-on-the-Road-and-Track\" target=\"_blank\">Scuderia Ferrari started using\u003C\u002Fa> the AWS-based system to streamline the design and testing of its cars, to provide content across multiple channels and make use of data analytics on many levels. NHL and NFL, PGA or the Bundesliga and NASCAR are also using the platform. But back to baseball.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003Ca class=\"img\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fbaseballsavant.mlb.com\u002Fsavant-player\u002Fshohei-ohtani-660271?stats=statcast-r-pitching-mlb\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"432\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2021\u002F10\u002Fs2qgvpcafdzdnvcwfbzj-768x432.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-36681\"\u002F\u003C\u002Fa srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2021\u002F10\u002Fs2qgvpcafdzdnvcwfbzj-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2021\u002F10\u002Fs2qgvpcafdzdnvcwfbzj-370x208.jpg 370w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2021\u002F10\u002Fs2qgvpcafdzdnvcwfbzj.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \u002F>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cfigcaption>Source: Statcast\u003C\u002Ffigcaption>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>It’s extraordinary how they transformed something totally unpredictable – like how promising a player looks when hitting or pitching – into something entirely data-based. AWS is offering its services to a growing number of sports leagues, along with the equipment it needs – like high-resolution stereoscopic machine vision devices, Doppler radars and other tools if needed, linked to AWS Cloud (\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.sportsvideo.org\u002F2021\u002F07\u002F12\u002Flive-from-mlb-all-star-2021-espn-enhances-statcast-ar-graphics-for-home-run-derby-produces-draft-from-coors-field\u002F\">here’s an ESPN visualisation\u003C\u002Fa> on what Statcats can do). Given the data provided, the focus is on which players have a high average and on-base plus slugging. This is where forecasting skills come in as one can use data points to exercise forecasting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cblockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-style-large is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\u003Cp>“\u003Cem>That’s why I’m saying that baseball is the dream sport for any futurist.\u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003C\u002Fblockquote>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"432\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2021\u002F10\u002FFB-virtual-eye-768x432.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-36683\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2021\u002F10\u002FFB-virtual-eye-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2021\u002F10\u002FFB-virtual-eye-370x208.jpg 370w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2021\u002F10\u002FFB-virtual-eye.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \u002F>\u003Cfigcaption>Source: Facebook Virtual Eye\u003C\u002Ffigcaption>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Who will win the baseball world series?\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Obviously, you can make \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.baseballdatascience.com\u002Fworld-series-predictions\u002F\" target=\"_blank\">data-based predictions\u003C\u002Fa> in any sport – or in real life. The more data you use, the better your forecasts will become. But the most amazing thing about sports is that they can’t be entirely modelled. Just as A.I. can’t replace physicians when it comes to expressing empathy, not even the best algorithm can factor in the \u003Cstrong>\u003Cem>human element\u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fstrong>.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>As a matter of fact, numbers will only get you halfway. There’s no analytics that could predict every single outcome. We still need, and we’ll always need that old school scout mentality as well, where we just listen to our guts. \u003Cstrong>\u003Cem>That’s the secret to forecasting.\u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fstrong> And that’s true for healthcare too. We have studies to analyse and numbers to crunch, but we also need our intuition in every area to make accurate predictions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">If you want to ameliorate your forecasting skills, besides watching games (need anything better than that?) you can challenge yourself within the \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.gjopen.com\u002F\" target=\"_blank\">Good Judgment project\u003C\u002Fa> – after all, with pandemic waves, climate catastrophe and other anomalies, being better in estimating what lies ahead of us helps us make better decisions on the go. \u003C\u002Fh4>\n",false,{"rendered":22,"protected":20},"\u003Cp>I am a huge fan of data. It gives me solid ground and helps me be motivated – I even had an Excel Spreadsheet Experiment […]\u003C\u002Fp>\n",6,36685,"closed",true,"","standard",{"_acf_changed":20,"footnotes":27},[31],6261,[33,34,35,36,37,38,39],413,651,6263,7431,7433,7435,196,[41,42],948,951,[],[45,46,47,48,49,50,51,52],5679,5795,1693,2739,4567,4581,5301,5311,[54,14,55,56,57,58,59,60,61,62,63,64,65,66,67,68,69],"post-36675","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-forecast","tag-sport-2","tag-sports","tag-forecast","tag-baseball","tag-statcast","tag-mlb","tag-data-2","project_category-developers","project_category-patients",{"id":24,"alt_text":27,"caption":27,"description":71,"media_type":72,"media_details":73,"post":5,"source_url":101},"How Baseball Helps Predict The Future","image",{"width":74,"height":75,"file":76,"sizes":77,"image_meta":99},1920,1080,"2021\u002F10\u002Ftmf_article_297-01.png",{"medium":78,"large":84,"thumbnail":89,"medium_large":93,"1536x1536":94},{"file":79,"width":80,"height":81,"mime-type":82,"source_url":83},"tmf_article_297-01-370x208.png","370","208","image\u002Fpng","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2021\u002F10\u002Ftmf_article_297-01-370x208.png",{"file":85,"width":86,"height":87,"mime-type":82,"source_url":88},"tmf_article_297-01-768x432.png","768","432","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2021\u002F10\u002Ftmf_article_297-01-768x432.png",{"file":90,"width":91,"height":91,"mime-type":82,"source_url":92},"tmf_article_297-01-150x150.png","150","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2021\u002F10\u002Ftmf_article_297-01-150x150.png",{"file":85,"width":86,"height":87,"mime-type":82,"source_url":88},{"file":95,"width":96,"height":97,"mime-type":82,"source_url":98},"tmf_article_297-01-1536x864.png","1536","864","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2021\u002F10\u002Ftmf_article_297-01-1536x864.png",{"aperture":100,"credit":27,"camera":27,"caption":27,"created_timestamp":100,"copyright":27,"focal_length":100,"iso":100,"shutter_speed":100,"title":27,"orientation":100},"0","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2021\u002F10\u002Ftmf_article_297-01.png",{"subtitle":27,"cta_type":103,"cta_color":27,"related_books":104,"related_posts_footer":107,"related_posts":20},"subscribe",[105,106],24759,24763,[108,109,110],14517,17653,25348,{"yoast_wpseo_title":112,"yoast_wpseo_metadesc":113,"yoast_wpseo_canonical":15},"Baseball And Machine Learning – How Baseball Helps Predict The Future? - The Medical Futurist","Watching and analysing baseball in fact made me get better at forecasting – and I’m going to show you how.",{"self":115,"collection":121,"about":124,"author":127,"replies":130,"version-history":133,"predecessor-version":137,"wp:featuredmedia":141,"wp:attachment":144,"wp:term":147,"curies":163},[116],{"href":117,"targetHints":118},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fposts\u002F36675",{"allow":119},[120],"GET",[122],{"href":123},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fposts",[125],{"href":126},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Ftypes\u002Fpost",[128],{"embeddable":26,"href":129},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fusers\u002F6",[131],{"embeddable":26,"href":132},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fcomments?post=36675",[134],{"count":135,"href":136},3,"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fposts\u002F36675\u002Frevisions",[138],{"id":139,"href":140},36693,"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fposts\u002F36675\u002Frevisions\u002F36693",[142],{"embeddable":26,"href":143},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fmedia\u002F36685",[145],{"href":146},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fmedia?parent=36675",[148,151,154,157,160],{"taxonomy":149,"embeddable":26,"href":150},"category","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fcategories?post=36675",{"taxonomy":152,"embeddable":26,"href":153},"post_tag","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Ftags?post=36675",{"taxonomy":155,"embeddable":26,"href":156},"project_category","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fproject_category?post=36675",{"taxonomy":158,"embeddable":26,"href":159},"contact_email_category","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fcontact_email_category?post=36675",{"taxonomy":161,"embeddable":26,"href":162},"yst_prominent_words","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fyst_prominent_words?post=36675",[164],{"name":165,"href":166,"templated":26},"wp","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.w.org\u002F{rel}",[168],{"id":110,"date":169,"date_gmt":170,"guid":171,"modified":173,"modified_gmt":174,"slug":175,"status":13,"type":14,"link":176,"title":177,"content":179,"excerpt":181,"author":23,"featured_media":183,"comment_status":25,"ping_status":25,"sticky":26,"template":27,"format":28,"meta":184,"categories":185,"tags":188,"project_category":195,"contact_email_category":196,"yst_prominent_words":197,"class_list":207,"better_featured_image":217,"acf":243,"yoast_meta":251,"_links":253},"2019-11-21T10:00:00","2019-11-21T08:00:00",{"rendered":172},"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002F?post_id=25348&_wpnonce=33132c78e3&status=auto-draft&type=post","2023-03-30T15:15:58","2023-03-30T13:15:58","71-ways-digital-health-technologies-help-fight-obesity","https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002F71-ways-digital-health-technologies-help-fight-obesity",{"rendered":178},"7+1 Ways Digital Health Technologies Help Fight Obesity",{"rendered":180,"protected":20},"\n\n\n\u003Ctable style=\"width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; background-color: #eee; border-top: 4px solid #444;\" cellpadding=\"5px\">\n\u003Ctbody>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Ctd style=\"width: 100%;\">\n\u003Cp style=\"color: #555;font-size: 12px;line-height: 14px\">THIS ARTICLE HAS NOT BEEN UPDATED SINCE 2019. THE INFORMATION SHARED IN THE ARTICLE WAS ACCURATE AT THE TIME OF ITS PUBLICATION, BUT IT MAY BE OUT OF DATE NOW. \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fmagazine\">BROWSE OUR LATEST ARTICLES HERE\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003C\u002Ftd> \u003C\u002Ftr>\u003C\u002Ftbody>\u003C\u002Ftable>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Obesity rates have nearly doubled in the last 20 years. Only in England, 13 million people over the age of 16 were considered obese in 2017, \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.dailymail.co.uk\u002Fhealth\u002Farticle-7677311\u002FNumber-people-obese-England-doubled-20-years.html\">Daily Mail r\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.dailymail.co.uk\u002Fhealth\u002Farticle-7677311\u002FNumber-people-obese-England-doubled-20-years.html\">\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.dailymail.co.uk\u002Fhealth\u002Farticle-7677311\u002FNumber-people-obese-England-doubled-20-years.html\">eported\u003C\u002Fa>. \u003Cgwmw class=\"ginger-module-highlighter-mistake-type-3\" id=\"gwmw-15743410473835909534068\">According \u003C\u002Fgwmw>to an analysis of government data, the NHS spent a staggering £1.075 billion on type 2 diabetes treatment alone. And since obesity is linked to cardiovascular problems, diabetes, and some cancers, most of us live in countries where obesity kills more people than malnutrition. It’s preventable. It’s treatable. And yet numbers keep rising. So, what’s happening and what’s the solution?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Let’s get digital!\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Ok, we may not have supernatural psychic abilities, but we’re pretty sure you’re reading this article while sitting. The technological innovations of the last century have led to an unhealthy, sedentary lifestyle (we only spend on average 3 hours a day on our feet) and a decrease in sport and other physical activities. This, combined with the food environmental changes, the aggressive marketing of fast food brands and sodas, and consequentially increased caloric intake play a huge role in the global obesity epidemic. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>And yet the key to turning this alarming situation around lies in technology,  especially in digital health. Wearable sensors, gamification, educational support, and online counseling could change the challenging journey of weight loss with monitoring psychological, physical parameters, and offering personalized advice to patients. So what weapons can digital health technology use against obesity?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003Cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.pixabay.com\u002Fphoto\u002F2017\u002F12\u002F11\u002F00\u002F20\u002Fobese-3011213_1280.jpg\" alt=\"\"\u002F>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Weapons of \u003Cstrong>mass\u003C\u002Fstrong> destruction\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"> 1. \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fhow-to-stay-fit-and-become-your-own-coach\u002F\">Fitness trackers!\u003C\u002Fa> \u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>It’s the first thing that comes to your mind hearing the words digital, health and gadget, right? These wearables, e.g. Gymwatch, or \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.polar.com\u002Fus-en\u002Fproducts\">Polar\u003C\u002Fa> chest strap, like a personal trainer, can present valuable information on the exercises and provide tips and tricks on ways to improve. Unlike a personal trainer (except if they’re really enthusiastic) these devices measure vital signs as well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Measuring data properly about our lifestyle helps keep track of any changes and more importantly, the impact of lifestyle changes on our weight in general. Without data, it’s incredibly hard to do the weight loss journey on your own.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003Cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.pixabay.com\u002Fphoto\u002F2015\u002F06\u002F25\u002F17\u002F21\u002Fsmart-watch-821558_1280.jpg\" alt=\"\"\u002F>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Sleep trackers\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Sleep is for the weak, right? Nope! A good night’s sleep has many health benefits and without proper rest people are more likely to gain weight, eat more and be less motivated. For those who’ve never tried using a \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fhow-to-measure-sleep\u002F\">sleep tracker\u003C\u002Fa>, we recommend \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fsleep.urbandroid.org\u002F\">Sleep As Android\u003C\u002Fa> first- it’s a great app with valuable information on REM, light and deep sleep phases. And for a sleep tracking watch we would choose \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Ffitbit-ionic-review-bromance-pebble-smartwatch\u002F\">Fitbit Ionic\u003C\u002Fa>.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003Cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F11\u002F040_sleepelf-1-512x288.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-25366\"\u002F>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Mental health tech\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>While exposure to stress for just a short period of time may be beneficial for motivation and creativity, chronic stress has a negative impact on health. Its effect on metabolism makes it harder to lose weight, so \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fimprove-mental-health-with-technology\u002F\">monitoring mental health\u003C\u002Fa> could be a game changer for the obese. For stress relief and meditation, both \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fthepip.com\u002Fen-eu\u002F\">PIP\u003C\u002Fa> or \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.headspace.com\u002F\">Headspace\u003C\u002Fa> are awesome options.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003Cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F11\u002F094_A.I._in_mental_health-512x288.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-25368\"\u002F>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. Smart scales\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Keeping track of weight, BMI, body fat percentage and lean mass helps people understand the effects of sport and diet on the body, which is crucial for progress. Smart scales, like \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.fitbit.com\u002Feu\u002Faria2\">Fitbit Aria 2\u003C\u002Fa> could be the frenemy we all need.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003Cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2016\u002F07\u002Ffitbit-aria2.jpg\" alt=\"\"\u002F>\u003Cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"> Source: www.justrunlah.com  \u003C\u002Ffigcaption>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5. Food scanners\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>It’s so easy to think \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fthe-future-of-food-the-food-of-the-future\u002F\">you’re consuming something healthy\u003C\u002Fa> until you look at the articles, advertisements and the conflicting opinions of professionals, family, and friends. Eating is an essential part of our lives and yet we can become so confused. Luckily \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Ffood-scanners\u002F\">food scanners\u003C\u002Fa> are here to make life a bit easier: for example, \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Ftesting-food-gluten-home-nima-sensor-review\u002F\">Nima\u003C\u002Fa> can measure micronutrients and ingredients for a more conscious dinner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003Cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.fsastore.com\u002FProductImages\u002FXLarge\u002F700167_2.jpg\" alt=\"\"\u002F>\u003Cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Source:  \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fblog.nimasensor.com\u002F\">https:\u002F\u002Fblog.nimasensor.com\u002F\u003C\u002Fa> \u003C\u002Ffigcaption>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">6. Microbiome tests\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Did you know you carry about 2-3 kilograms of bacteria in your intestines? These microorganisms not only influence how you process food but they affect your immune system and cognitive functions as well. \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fatlas-biomed-microbiome-test-review\u002F\">Microbiome tests\u003C\u002Fa> can indicate change in balance and composition (and ultimately function). Some companies even help with recommendations on what to eat for a healthier life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003Cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F09\u002F2019_07_26_Probiotics_guts-768x442.png\" alt=\"\"\u002F>\u003Cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"> Source: www.atlasbiomed.com \u003C\u002Ffigcaption>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">7. \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fwhere-does-blood-testing-stand-today\u002F\">Blood tests\u003C\u002Fa>  \u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>They measure quite a few important markers of overall health. And since obese people have higher risk of certain diseases, screening is important to steer clear of comorbidity. There are options now to do this from the comfort of your home:  for example, \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fimaware.health\u002F\">imaware\u003C\u002Fa>. It’s designed for initial disease screening or monitoring bioindicators, plus it only takes a few minutes. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003Cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F11\u002FInnovative-Blood-Testing.jpg\" alt=\"\"\u002F>\u003Cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"> Source: www.nature.com \u003C\u002Ffigcaption>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">+1. Our favorite: Coaching\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>“Sustainable change can’t happen in a vacuum, and those living with obesity who want to manage their weight are in need of personalized human coaching to help them change their habits, so they can lose weight for good”. said Saeju Jeong, CEO and co-founder of Noom. Personalized, web-based support pays attention to the fact, that while the physiology is basically the same in every case, patients have very different mindsets when it comes to weight loss. And focusing on these differences is the limitation of AI at the moment. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Automation may be great for the majority of tasks, but the health coaches are the backbones of these apps. These coaches aren’t part of the traditional healthcare system, but they have a good amount of data on the patient, and as trained professionals, they are able to give support based on facts and the customer’s needs. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003Cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F11\u002F096_A-day-with-a-chatbot-512x288.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-25356\"\u002F>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Apps like \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.noom.com\u002F#\u002F\">Noom\u003C\u002Fa>, \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Flivahealthcare.com\u002F\">Liva\u003C\u002Fa> (focusing on people living with chronic conditions, like diabetes, heart disease and mental health issues), and \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.hmrprogram.com\u002F\">HMR\u003C\u002Fa> can inspire changes in everyday life and they offer to act as a personal assistant with daily coaching, education, and group-based intervention. Novo Nordisk, the pharmaceutical company, announced a \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fpharmaphorum.com\u002Fnews\u002Fnovo-nordisk-announces-obesity-digital-health-tie-up-with-noom\u002F\">tie-up with Noom\u003C\u002Fa> to battle obesity. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>They plan on combining behavior change programmes with Novo’s expertise in chronic diseases. Noom wants to understand the customer base more and get a clearer picture of the challenges and milestones of people trying to change their lifestyle.  With the use of AI and behavioural coaching, people can expect the cost of treatment to drop, and the access and anonymity of care to increase. Oh, and saving time!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003Cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.pixabay.com\u002Fphoto\u002F2015\u002F03\u002F28\u002F10\u002F21\u002Fdiet-695723_1280.jpg\" alt=\"\"\u002F>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">(The non pizza) take-away\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>We know that finding the right digital health technology is a struggle. The \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.amazon.com\u002FWearable-Technology\u002Fb?ie=UTF8&node=10048700011\" target=\"_blank\">Amazon Wearable marketplace\u003C\u002Fa> has so many wearable health devices it makes even harder to choose. A bunch of technological problems might arise: the device requires constant attention, needs to be charged constantly, Bluetooth connections unpair randomly and synchronization might be a nightmare. And when you finally “master” technology, it takes the skills of an IT guru combined with that of a trained physician to interpret the data. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Some makers of healthcare wearables are better than others at providing insight into how to live better instead of dumping meaningless data in the users’ lap. Not to mention how hard it can be to form new habits to keep the weight off for good. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>A \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\u002Fpmc\u002Farticles\u002FPMC6330028\u002F\">new study\u003C\u002Fa> found that web-based weight loss programs have more of a short-term result among obese individuals. Digital health companies need to shift the focus from business and technical research to behavioral sciences and understanding the needs, difficulties and goals of their customers. The numbers of people who take their health into their own hands are on the rise and they need guidance and all the help they can get to see a clear picture of their actual state and their possibilities. After all, the only effective antidote to obesity is lifestyle change. Challenging, no doubt. But with the support of traditional treatment combined with new, digital tools, we hope to see the number of obese people decrease.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>We could go on and on for hours but probably shouldn’t – if you’re interested in our favorite health sensors, Check out our cool \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fthe-body-map-of-digital-health-sensors\u002F\">infographic\u003C\u002Fa> of the most exciting gadgets you can get. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ctable style=\"width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; background-color: #eee; border-top: 4px solid #444;\" cellpadding=\"10px\">\n\u003Ctbody>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Ctd style=\"width: 100%;\">\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>At The Medical Futurist, we are building a community for making a bold vision about the future of healthcare reality today.\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ciframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.youtube.com\u002Fembed\u002FFIbMejImnxs\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"\">\u003C\u002Fiframe>\n\u003Cp>If you’d like to support this mission, we invite you to \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.patreon.com\u002Fthemedicalfuturist\">join The Medical Futurist Patreon Community\u003C\u002Fa>. A community of empowered patients, future-oriented healthcare professionals, concerned health policymakers, sensible health tech developers, and enthusiastic medical students. If there were ever a time to join us, it is now. Every contribution, however big or small, powers our research and sustains our future.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.patreon.com\u002Fthemedicalfuturist\">\u003Cstrong style=\"background-color: #e71d3299; color: #000;\">Click here to support The Medical Futurist from as little as $3\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fa> – it only takes a minute. Thank you.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003C\u002Ftr>\n\u003C\u002Ftbody>\n\u003C\u002Ftable>\n\u003Cp> \u003C\u002Fp>\n",{"rendered":182,"protected":20},"\u003Cp>Wearable sensors, gamification, educational support, and online counseling could change the challenging journey of weight loss with monitoring psychological, physical parameters, and offering personalized advice to patients. So what weapons can digital health technology use against obesity?\u003C\u002Fp>\n",25371,{"_acf_changed":20,"footnotes":27},[186,187],521,496,[189,190,191,192,193,194],630,1039,1165,1536,1537,207,[],[],[198,199,200,201,202,203,204,205,206],1681,1883,3607,5425,1559,1571,1577,1583,1617,[208,14,55,56,57,58,59,209,210,211,212,213,214,215,216],"post-25348","category-future-medicine","category-health-sensors-trackers","tag-digital-technology","tag-digital-health-sensors","tag-weight-management","tag-obesity","tag-weight-loss","tag-digital-health",{"id":183,"alt_text":218,"caption":27,"description":219,"media_type":72,"media_details":220,"post":110,"source_url":242},"TMF, Digital health and obesity","TMF, Obesity, Weight loss",{"width":74,"height":75,"file":221,"sizes":222,"image_meta":241},"2019\u002F11\u002F125_tmf_illu.png",{"medium":223,"large":226,"thumbnail":229,"medium_large":232,"1536x1536":233,"2048x2048":236},{"file":224,"width":80,"height":81,"mime-type":82,"source_url":225},"125_tmf_illu-370x208.png","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F11\u002F125_tmf_illu-370x208.png",{"file":227,"width":86,"height":87,"mime-type":82,"source_url":228},"125_tmf_illu-768x432.png","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F11\u002F125_tmf_illu-768x432.png",{"file":230,"width":91,"height":91,"mime-type":82,"source_url":231},"125_tmf_illu-150x150.png","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F11\u002F125_tmf_illu-150x150.png",{"file":227,"width":86,"height":87,"mime-type":82,"source_url":228},{"file":234,"width":96,"height":97,"mime-type":82,"source_url":235},"125_tmf_illu-1536x864.png","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F11\u002F125_tmf_illu-1536x864.png",{"file":237,"width":238,"height":239,"mime-type":82,"source_url":240},"125_tmf_illu-2048x1152.png","2048","1152","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F11\u002F125_tmf_illu-2048x1152.png",{"aperture":100,"credit":27,"camera":27,"caption":27,"created_timestamp":100,"copyright":27,"focal_length":100,"iso":100,"shutter_speed":100,"title":27,"orientation":100},"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F11\u002F125_tmf_illu-scaled.png",{"cta_type":103,"cta_color":244,"subtitle":27,"related_books":245,"related_posts_footer":248,"related_posts":20},"red",[246,106,247],24761,24766,[249,250],22518,14256,{"yoast_wpseo_title":252,"yoast_wpseo_metadesc":27,"yoast_wpseo_canonical":176},"7+1 Ways Digital Health Technologies Help Fight Obesity - The Medical Futurist",{"self":254,"collection":259,"about":261,"author":263,"replies":265,"version-history":268,"predecessor-version":272,"wp:featuredmedia":276,"wp:attachment":279,"wp:term":282,"curies":293},[255],{"href":256,"targetHints":257},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fposts\u002F25348",{"allow":258},[120],[260],{"href":123},[262],{"href":126},[264],{"embeddable":26,"href":129},[266],{"embeddable":26,"href":267},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fcomments?post=25348",[269],{"count":270,"href":271},23,"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fposts\u002F25348\u002Frevisions",[273],{"id":274,"href":275},50399,"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fposts\u002F25348\u002Frevisions\u002F50399",[277],{"embeddable":26,"href":278},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fmedia\u002F25371",[280],{"href":281},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fmedia?parent=25348",[283,285,287,289,291],{"taxonomy":149,"embeddable":26,"href":284},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fcategories?post=25348",{"taxonomy":152,"embeddable":26,"href":286},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Ftags?post=25348",{"taxonomy":155,"embeddable":26,"href":288},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fproject_category?post=25348",{"taxonomy":158,"embeddable":26,"href":290},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fcontact_email_category?post=25348",{"taxonomy":161,"embeddable":26,"href":292},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fyst_prominent_words?post=25348",[294],{"name":165,"href":166,"templated":26},[],1788949187789]