Researchers at the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s College of Nursing in Norfolk are working with the Northeast Nebraska Public Health Department to develop a smartphone app to help men in rural areas lose weight. Clinical researcher Dr. Christine Eisenhauer says the benefits of weight loss have been well documented.
Eisenhauer says the study will help determine which apps are most feasible and effective for rural men. Research shows more than half of men in rural Nebraska are currently overweight or obese and with that comes health problems.
UNMC is recruiting 80 men, ages 40 to 69 who live in northeast Nebraska. One group will receive a premium version of a self-monitoring app that allows them to track their weight over time and receive daily text messages. The second group will receive the basic version of a commercially available app only. For more information about joining the study, Nebraskans should call 402-844-7897.
