Analysis of over 60,000 Consumers in RedBrick Journeys™ Finds Frequent Engagement, Consumers Changing Behaviors One Small Step at a Time

MINNEAPOLIS, June 26, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- RedBrick Health, a fast-growing leader in consumer health engagement and behavior change technology, today announces results from the first six months of experience with its patent-pending, adaptive health behavior change system, RedBrick Journeys™. RedBrick Journeys offer consumers and program sponsors, such as employers, health plans and healthcare provider organizations, a cost-effective alternative to traditional phone and digital health coaching programs.

The company's evaluation of a sample of 60,000 participants across a wide array of work settings found that consumers taking a RedBrick Journey engaged an average of 2.6 times per week, roughly ten times as frequently as average engagement observed in traditional online health improvement programs. Participants achieved an average of 1.8 behavior change milestones per month, such as introducing more physical activity into their day, choosing healthier food options, actively managing stress through specific coping techniques or adhering to their treatment plans by taking medications as prescribed.

Healthy behaviors, such as eating well, staying active, maintaining a healthy weight, and sticking to treatment plans, have proven essential in the prevention and management of chronic health conditions that make up roughly 75% of the $2.7 trillion annual U.S. healthcare spend.

"We all know that it's about behavior, but many consumers are gun-shy about trying to change due to past failures, low confidence, and the challenging nature of habits," observed Eric Zimmerman, chief marketing officer for RedBrick Health, who oversees the RedBrick behavior design and content innovation lab. "Many traditional programs haven't helped much because they make mistakes in behavior design. Rather than setting lofty goals or relying on information alone, RedBrick Journeys break things down into small choices presented in a game-like format and use tailored triggers – like SMS and email messages – to make it simple, convenient and almost foolproof. As consumers succeed, confidence builds, and success breeds more success."

RedBrick Journeys produce a rich and unique dataset on the behavior change process. As consumers complete and rate each small step, an analytics layer uses this data to drive rapid iteration. Using its patent-pending authoring platform, RedBrick's behavior design lab has introduced and enhanced over 30 Journey titles across an array of focus areas including physical activity, nutrition and weight loss, as well as recently introduced focus areas that include healthy sleep, tobacco cessation, healthy back, and living with diabetes. The latter informed by consumer research on how psychosocial dynamics impact diabetes treatment adherence. The small-step strategies employed to help consumers manage their diabetes draw directly on these research findings.

A social layer within RedBrick Journeys enables participants to engage friends and families via their preferred social networking platform – whether that's Facebook or simply email – to create greater accountability, an essential ingredient in traditional, but more expensive, coaching programs. "A nudge or positive reinforcement from a close friend or spouse is often more powerful than a message from your employer, health insurer, or the mass media," added Zimmerman.

About RedBrick Health
RedBrick Health is a health engagement and behavior change technology company that helps employers reinvigorate their health & wellness programs. The company combines financial accountability, clinical and behavioral insight, social and game mechanics and powerful data analytics to create a personalized and persuasive experience delivered through web, mobile and live interactions. As a result, RedBrick drives healthy behaviors, better outcomes, and stronger returns on everyone's investment in health. The company serves large, self-insured employers and strategic distribution partners. Visit RedBrick at redbrickhealth.com, read more at healthinnovationblog.com or follow the company at twitter.com/redbrickhealth.

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SOURCE RedBrick Health