Do you have clients who want a healthier lifestyle?

My parents helped me get my first hearing aids at the age of three.

If someone would have told my parents back then, that one day hearing aids would have the ability to track and improve my health, I am sure they would not have believed it.

And, actually, to tell you the truth, if someone would have told me even 5 years ago that my hearing aids would soon be able to track my physical activity and help be healthier, I would have laughed it off.  

And yet here we are. The new Audéo Fit can do exactly that. Like other popular activity trackers, Audéo Fit promotes healthy habits by tracking heart rate, steps, activity levels and distance walked or ran.

Why is health tracking an important healthcare trend?

Speaking for myself, tracking health makes maintaining a healthy lifestyle much easier, because it provides me with a tangible way to improve my lifestyle choices.

Two reasons why health tracking matters in hearing healthcare

1. Hearing loss is associated with higher likelihood of physical inactivity.^1,2,3   That means many of your clients might benefit from devices that promote a healthier lifestyle. The myPhonak app even offers the option of goal setting for steps. Setting goals and tracking progress has been shown to further motivate individuals to increase physical activity.⁴
   
2. A health tracking feature in hearing aids might increase wear time. For those who like to count every single step, they will be motivated to keep their devices on. The myPhonak app also offers the option of goal setting for wearing time.

Why the ear is a great place for activity tracking

The ear is a fascinating organ. It controls the sense of balance and can also give us good access to health data⁵, such as:^6,7

• Vital signs, such as heart rate, body temperature or blood pressure are accessible.
• Physical activities, such as light activity, walking and running can be tracked.
• The ear creates fewer movement artifacts than other parts of the body when tracking, e.g. the wrist.

Health benefits of more activity

We all know the importance of physical activity. It’s good for our hearts, bodies and minds.⁸ Regular physical activity can help prevent and manage heart disease, Type II diabetes and cancer which cause nearly three quarters of deaths worldwide.

Physical activity can also reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety, and enhance thinking, learning and overall well-being.

And it could increase quality time with loved ones. For example, my wife uses a watch for health tracking and goal setting. She competes in weekly challenges and very often volunteers to take our dog “Nala” for a long walk in the evening, just to add another 3.000 steps.

When I tested my first Audéo Fit device, guess who was walking the dog in the evening?

Right, both of us.

And the beauty? I didn’t have to wear additional devices.

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To learn more about how Audéo Fit and the myPhonak app combine health data tracking, unrivaled* sound quality⁹ and universal connectivity to support overall well-being, we invite you to visit www.phonakpro.com.

*Compared to Phonak Audéo™ Marvel

References

1. Wells, T. S., Nickels, L. D., Rush, S. R., Musich, S. A., Wu, L., Bhattarai, G. R., & Yeh, C. S. (2020). Characteristics and health outcomes associated with hearing loss and hearing aid use among older adults. J Aging Health, 32(7-8), 724-734. https://doi.org/10.1177/0898264319848866

2.Tsimpida, D., Kontopantelis, E., Ashcroft, D., & Panagioti, M. (2019). Socioeconomic and lifestyle factors associated with hearing loss in older adults: a cross-sectional study of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA). BMJ Open, 9(9), e031030. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2019-031030

3. Kuo, P. L., Di, J., Ferrucci, L., & Lin, F. R. (2021). Analysis of hearing loss and physical activity among US adults aged 60-69 years. JAMA Network Open, 4(4), e215484-e215484.

4. 2018 Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee (2018). Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee Scientific Report. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

5. Da He, D., Winokur, E.S., Heldt, T. & Sodini, C.G. (2012). “The ear as a location for wearable vital signs monitoring.” IEEE, 2010. 6389-6392. Web.

6. Blazek, V., Venema, B., Leonhardt, S. and Blazek, P. (2018), Customized optoelectronic in-ear sensor approaches for unobtrusive continuous monitoring of cardiorespiratory vital signs, International Journal of Industrial Engineering and Management, 9(4), 197-203

7. Budidha, K. and Kyriacou, P. A. (2014). The human ear canal: investigation of its suitability for monitoring photoplethysmographs and arterial oxygen saturation. Physiological Measurement, 35(2), 111-128. doi: 10.1088/0967-334/35/2/111

8. WHO guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour (2020). Geneva: World Health Organization. Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO

9. Appleton-Huber, J. (2020). AutoSense OS 4.0 – significantly less listening effort and preferred for speech intelligibility. Phonak Field Study News. Retrieved from www.phonakpro.com/evidence, accessed April 15, 2020.