METHOD FOR TAILORING STRATEGY MESSAGES FROM AN EXPERT SYSTEM TO ENHANCE SUCCESS WITH MODIFICATIONS TO HEALTH BEHAVIORS

• US 20090076842A1
• Filed: 05/08/2008
• Published: 03/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Humana Innovation Enterprises, Inc. (Humana Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Sensei, Inc.
• Inventors: Dion, Timothy J., Schwarzberg, Robert, Zabinski, Marion, Melton, Rene
• Granted Patent: US 8,463,618 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/60 relating to nutrition control, e.g. diets
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/20 for computer-aided diagnosis, e.g. based on medical expert systems

Abstract

A system and method for assisting with the maintenance of healthy lifestyle habits by generating tailored strategy messages within an expert system and then pushing those messages to the corresponding individual users of the cellular phones or other portable devices. The system and method allows diet and exercise plans to be tailored to individual users based on their preferences and provides consistent and appropriate strategy messages designed to encourage and motivate users toward successfully maintaining healthy lifestyle habits. Users complete initial assessments which detail individual food and physical activity preferences. The system uses the assessments to generate individualized messages that are pushed to user devices through a system incorporating cellular technologies. Tailored messages are pushed from the computer based expert system to user devices at predetermined times each day.

Claims

1. A system for personalizing and sending to portable device users tailored strategy messages to promote modifications to dietary health behaviors, comprising:

a first database comprising personal and diet preference data for a plurality of users, said personal data for said plurality of users comprising contact data for sending messages to portable devices of said portable device users and said diet preference data comprising diet plan selections, food preferences, meal time preferences, and meal preparation preferences for each of said plurality of users;

a second database comprising dietary and nutritional data for a plurality of foods and recipes;

an expert system for analyzing diet preference data for said plurality of users from said first database and dietary and nutritional data from said second database and for generating a tailored message for each of said plurality of users wherein said tailored message comprises a meal suggestion based on said analysis of said diet plan selections, food preferences, and meal preparation preferences for each of said plurality of users and said dietary and nutritional data; and

a server connected to said expert system for sending said tailored messages to at least one computer network in communication with said portable devices of said plurality of users, wherein said server sends each tailored message comprising a meal suggestion to said computer network for delivery to said portable devices according to said meal time preferences specified by each of said plurality of users.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said portable devices of said plurality of users are cellular telephones.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said tailored messages are delivered 15 to 45 minutes in advance of each of said plurality of users'"'"' meal time preferences.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said server receives from each of said users a response indicating acceptance of said meal suggestion or a response rejecting said meal suggestion.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein said expert system generates tailored messages comprising substitute meal suggestions for user rejecting said meal suggestions.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein said substitute meal suggestion is a suggestion for substituting a single food item in said meal suggestion.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said meal preparation preferences are selected from the group consisting of meals prepared in under 10 minutes, meals prepared in over 10 minutes, frozen and ready to eat meals, fast food meals, and cooked to order meals.

8. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a third database comprising exercise data, said exercise data including data regarding calories burned for each of a plurality of exercises; and

exercise preference data for said plurality of users, said exercise preference data comprising physical activity preferences and exercise time preferences for performing said physical activity.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein said expert system analyzes said exercise preference data for said plurality of users and generates a tailored exercise message for each of said plurality of users wherein said tailored exercise message comprises a physical activity suggestion based on said analysis of said exercise preference data for said plurality of users and said exercise data, said tailored physical activity message sent to said computer network for delivery to said portable devices according to said exercise time preferences specified by each of said plurality of users.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein said expert system generates a personal strategy for each of said plurality of users and said server sends said personal strategy messages for delivery to said portable devices for said plurality of users, each of said personal strategy messages related to each of said plurality of users progress toward meeting a specified health behavior challenge.

11. A method for personalizing strategy messages from an expert system to modify health behavior comprising:

(a) prompting a user to enter personal and preference data, said personal data comprising contact information for a portable device and said preference data comprising diet and exercise preferences including time preferences for completing activities related to said diet and exercise preferences;

(b) generating a tailored message for said user, said tailored message related to an activity to be performed by said user consistent with said diet and exercise preferences of said user;

(c) determining said user'"'"'s time preference for completing said activity to be performed; and

(d) sending said tailored message to said portable device, said tailored message sent according to said user'"'"'s time preference for completing said activity to be performed.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein generating a tailored related to an activity to be performed comprises generating a tailored message related to eating a meal.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein sending said tailored message to said portable device according to said user'"'"'s time preference for completing said activity comprises sending said tailored message to said portable device 15 minutes before said user'"'"'s preferred time for eating said meal.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein generating a tailored message related to eating a meal comprises generating a tailored message with a meal suggestion consistent with a user'"'"'s food preferences and meal preparation preferences.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising receiving from said user a response to said meal suggestion.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising sending to said user a substitute meal suggestion consistent with said user'"'"'s food preferences and meal preparation preferences.

17. The method of claim 11 wherein generating a tailored message related to an activity to be performed comprises generating a tailored message related to performing a physical activity.

18. The method of claim 12 wherein sending said tailored message to said portable device according to said user'"'"'s time preference for completing said activity comprising sending said tailored message to said portable device 15 minutes before said user'"'"'s preferred time for performing said physical activity.

19. The method of claim 11 further comprising prompting said user to identify a behavioral challenge.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising sending said user a tailored message related to said behavioral challenge.