Three impactful health apps from VA Health

The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has produced several apps over the years. Below are three that stand out as catalysts to a well rounded and healthier life. There are more to use, but the standouts when looking at the options are one for a holistic health approach, one for sharing trackable data with a health team, and one to create an activity plan for being healthier.

The first one is the Live Whole Health app which addresses several areas of health and wellness. It adds a layer of planning and accountability that are beneficial for any person looking to improve or maintain their health. It also has a layer of gamification where members complete steps to earn badges, which could help with patient engagement.

In the spirit of whole health improvement there should be planning and input from a care team at the VA. To answer this need the Share My Health Data application was made. This application is a tool in which people can pair their wearable fitness trackers so their care team can monitor their progress and provide feedback. Fitness trackers have been proven to have long term positive health impacts in both clinical and non-clinical groups, and should be recommended to improve health and increase activity (Ferguson, et al., 2022).

In the spirit of whole health, and tracking fitness/sleep goals why not have an application that gives someone new to their fitness journey a direction. The Move! Coach application answers this call by providing weekly workout routines that unlock progressively. It also provides resources for diet and weight loss goals, and members can receive feedback on their progress.

I hope you enjoyed reading about these three applications offered through VA Health. Improving these aspects of health will improve more areas of life as well, and are a great step towards success

References:

Above in-text links to listed applications

Ferguson, T., Olds, T., Curtis, R., Blake, H., Crozier, A. J., Dankiw, K., Dumuid, D., Kasai, D., O’Connor, E., Virgara, R., & Maher, C. (2022). Effectiveness of wearable activity trackers to increase physical activity and improve health: A systematic review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses. The Lancet Digital Health, 4(8). https://doi.org/10.1016/s2589-7500(22)00111-x