Healthy Habits: Wrist watch

A low-tech invention developed at the University of Nebraska Medical Center is pumping life into the concept of building healthy habits among children.

Habitwise, a company formed in June to sell the invention, is marketing color-coded bracelets and plastic discs for people who need a convenient way to keep track of their eating and lifestyle habits.

Recently the company, in conjunction with Live Well Omaha Kids, launched a line of bracelets called TRACKiT, designed to help kids keep tabs on what kids eat and how much they exercise.

Children wear the blue, purple, yellow, orange and green-colored bands, which match parts of the USDA food pyramid recommendations, on one wrist and move them to the other wrist throughout the day as they drink water, exercise or eat certain foods.

Habitwise CEO Sara Dreamer calls the bracelets “point-of-decision prompts,” meaning they can influence a person's actions. He or she might reach for an apple instead of a bag of chips or for a glass of water instead of a can of pop.

“When they're right in front of your face you can't misplace or forget about them,” Dreamer said of the bracelets. “It's very low-tech, but that's why it's working.”

Habitwise introduced the TRACKiT bracelets June 16 at Crossroads Christian Church's Trailblazers camp in Council Bluffs. Trailblazers is an outreach mission that provides support to kids from low-income and single-parent homes.

The children and teens who received the bracelets will serve as a sample group to determine how well the product and point-of-decision prompts work, Dreamer said.

Daquon Berry, 13, is one of those first users. He said he appreciates the habit-building accessories and would ask his parents to buy them at the store.

“I'm definitely more aware of what I'm eating,” Daquon said. “They're fun and cool.”

The TRACKiT bracelets are not for individual sale but will be offered in some area schools soon, Dreamer said. She said it hasn't been determined what schools will carry the bracelets for students.

Habitwise does have its own line specifically for kids called getTracking and sells similar products for adults. Some examples are getLoss bracelets that promote weight loss and getWet bands that challenge wearers to drink an adequate amount of water each day.

The products sell for $24 and $28 and are primarily available online at habitwise.com, Dreamer said, but the company has plans to expand outside the Omaha area.

Using bracelets as reminders isn't a new idea, Dreamer said, but medical professionals at UNMC expanded on the idea after helping a group of women with multiple sclerosis lose weight.

Instead of keeping journals of their diet and activity, inventors Dr. Kathi Healey, Terry Munsinger, Jill Skrabel and Dottie Norgard decided to give the color-coded bracelet system a try. It worked, and now Dreamer is working to get the simple product into the mainstream.

Dreamer said bracelets are just the start of what Habitwise hopes to accomplish. Mobile phone applications, for example, are an avenue the company is pursuing to help tap into tech-savvy male consumers.

Other kids at the Trailblazers camp had reactions much like Berry's. The only concern mentioned was that the bracelets were too small for some participants.

“They're cool, but they hurt after a while,” said Nick Prosolow, 12, of Council Bluffs. “Once my arm really hurts, then I take them off.”

Dreamer said the company has already started designing a bigger mold to make larger sizes.

Though simple, studies have shown the Habitwise concept works, said Healey, a nurse practitioner in the neurological sciences department at UNMC.

“Practical techniques to aid in changing behavior on a daily basis are a key factor in making changes,” she said. “Studies show that individuals who monitor behaviors are more likely to succeed at modifying them.”

Contact the writer:

444-1414, ross.boettcher@owh.com

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