Objectives: Body weight, body mass index (BMI), body fat, and blood pressure are important indicators of a person's health. In this experimental study, we evaluated the effectiveness of an integrated personalized health care system, Health Improvement and Management System (HIMS)-everyday, which instantly provides subjects with biofeedback on their measured body weight, BMI, body fat and blood pressure using a database that stores subjects-customized information.
Methods: The subjects of this study used the system once or twice a week for 8 weeks. We analyzed the changes in their body weight, BMI, body fat, and blood pressure according to their respective usage of the system, and analyzed the changes in their perceived health status and health promoting behavior accordingly.
Results: Subjects' body weight, BMI, and blood pressure decreased significantly with respect to their individual usage of the system. Subjects who used the system more frequently showed significant improvement in their body weight, BMI, and body fat. However, subjects' perceived health status and health promoting behavior did not improve significantly.
Conclusions: The study showed that the biofeedback-based personalized health care system was effective in controlling middle-aged and elderly women' body weight, BMI, body fat, and blood pressure.
Keywords: Biofeedback; Health Behavior; Information System; Women's Health.