It appears education is beginning to take part in television, and use through TV media can help reach some of those who may not use the internet as a prime source 
of healthcare information via using shows as such. If you are not familiar with the television show, individuals are enrolled to basically lose weight. Now the show is incorporating technology from the internet to show individuals how to evaluate their healthcare, make changes and re-evaluate. This program is not free though and costs $89.99. I see some sales and marketing here as well as an opportunity to reach out, so there’s a little bit of both.
If you use the internet there are several sites that can help you for free as well. Let’s face it, self included, we are perhaps not the best at realizing what we can do all the time to create a healthier lifestyle. Time and interest also enters the picture here too as it is a new paradigm that has a bit of a learning curve. Right now as a country the US is already voted as the #1 stressed society in the world and part of this is technology driven as there are many choices and we are marketed from many directions, and there is stress created too simply from those who do not quite understand how things are changing too, so a little of both.
The television show is going to have the participants assess their health risk, so you can see how it works. One other item of note, is that BioSignia is run by former bankers, biotech and software individuals as well as some health insurance people so you get the message that health insurance of course is behind such a move as it will save them money on care expenditures too. It appears to also be marketed towards employers and the website states it “outperforms conventional underwriting technology”, underwriting being what is evaluated when offering insurance to a client. Most insurance companies are now either active or are exploring “behavioral underwriting” in order to predict and control healthcare needs and costs. More can be read here on that topic. BD
Press Release:
NBC’s “The Biggest Loser” Unveils Health Kit for Contestants and Viewers to Lead Longer, Healthier Lives
NBC, Reveille Partner with North Carolina-Based BioSignia to Offer Know Your Number System to Help Predict Key Health Risks
Know Your Number Featured on “The Biggest Loser” as Contestants Learn Health Risks and How to Address Them
Durham, N.C. – January 6, 2010 – Imagine knowing your precise personal risk for heart disease, diabetes or stroke. Would you improve your lifestyle to reduce your risk? Of course! Contestants in this season’s “The Biggest Loser,” will for the first time be shown their risk of developing the nation’s top three killer diseases, as well as how to reduce their risk of contracting these and other diseases.
NBC Universal Television DVD, Music and Consumer Products Group and Reveille, the company behind “The Biggest Loser,” have partnered with leading, NC-based biotechnology company BioSignia, to use The Biggest Loser Know Your Number HealthScore on the program. The revolutionary health risk assessment identifies the contestant’s disease risk, as well as their “internal age,” life expectancy and estimated preventable medical expenses.
On Tuesday, January 12, contestants will hear their HealthScore number for the first time under the supervision of the show’s medical advisor, Dr. Robert Huizenga. In addition to revealing the risk of disease, the test will also indicate how many years of life contestants can recover if they make healthy lifestyle changes. The system then provides a personalized roadmap to achieving a longer, healthier life by showing contestants how to reduce their disease risk.
“I’m quite excited by The Biggest Loser Know Your Number HealthScore; knowing the years being robbed by excess fat, inadequate diets and cigarettes is- as evidenced by contestant’s reactions- both eye-opening and motivational,” says Dr.Robert Huizenga, Medical Advisor on “The Biggest Loser” and one of the leading health and fitness experts in the country. “I believe accurately communicating risks in this powerful fashion could wake up America and save lives.”
Coinciding with its use on the show, The Biggest Loser Know Your Number HealthScore is also available to the public. ”We are excited to bring a new tool to the marketplace that helps our contestants and will help our viewers take such a critical part of their healthcare into their own hands,” says Mark Koops, Executive Producer of “The Biggest Loser.” "Our program inspires so many people to commit to a healthier lifestyle and The Biggest Loser Know Your Number HealthScore takes our message to a whole new level. This system takes the guesswork out of getting healthy before it’s too late."
"The Know Your Number system is an important development in ‘The Biggest Loser’ product line," adds Kim Niemi, Senior Vice President, NBC Universal. "Millions of Americans are at risk of developing diabetes, heart disease or stroke, and most of that risk is preventable. This unique tool gives users a window into their own future and can set people on the path to healthier living."
Contestants will be re-tested and given their new numbers at mid-season and again at the end of the season. Both contestants and viewers will be amazed at how drastically their "numbers" have improved.
How it Works
The Biggest Loser Know Your Number HealthScore takes a person’s unique health information, including weight, blood pressure, family history, lifestyle habits and key blood values. It then uses BioSignia’s proprietary technology, called Synthesis Analysis, to produce a detailed report on that person’s risk of developing specific obesity related diseases. The report also shows specific steps the person can take to reduce their risk and live a longer, healthier life.
"Heart disease, diabetes and stroke are the nation’s top deadly diseases and the Biggest Loser Know Your Number HealthScore will show people their risks for getting these diseases and how to avoid them," says Dr. David Michael, M.D., BioSignia Medical Director who uses the Know Your Number test to examine patients in his N.C. medical practice. "The results inspire people to be more proactive about their health and start on a path to a healthier lifestyle."
How to Buy The Kit
Coinciding with the season premiere of “The Biggest Loser,” viewers will be able to go online to purchase the same Biggest Loser Know Your Number HealthScore test used in the show. This is the first time a prime-time TV show will incorporate this high tech wellness technology and make it available to consumers.
The Biggest Loser Know Your Number HealthScore Kit sells for $89.99. When consumers buy the kit, they complete a private questionnaire and send in their measurements, blood pressure and blood sample to the BioSignia offices in North Carolina where their results will be tabulated. Within three weeks, consumers receive their HealthScore complete with their "numbers" and suggested customized remedies to improve their health. BioSignia encourages customers to consult their personal physician about the HealthScore’s findings and recommendations and to take the test more than once so as to monitor their progress as they implement the suggested lifestyle changes. The test is available for purchase online at www.biggestloserknowyournumber.com and www.biggestloser.com.
About The Biggest Loser
The first reality series where everybody loses, “The Biggest Loser” challenges and encourages overweight contestants to shed pounds in a safe and recommended manner through comprehensive diet and exercise as they compete for a grand prize of $250,000. Hosted by Alison Sweeney (Days of our Lives), the series provides the contestants with challenges, temptations, weigh-ins and eliminations until the final contestant remains to claim the title of "the biggest loser." Each team works out under the supervision of professional trainers Jillian Michaels and Bob Harper. “The Biggest Loser” is a production of Reveille LLC, 25/7 Productions and 3 Ball Productions.
Beyond the U.S. where more than 100 episodes of the show have aired, “The Biggest Loser” has become a worldwide hit appearing in over 90 countries and produced in 25 countries. Since its debut in 2004, “The Biggest Loser” has grown to become a standalone health and lifestyle brand by developing tools and products inspired by the show and approved by its doctors and experts. Anchored by the online, subscription-based extension of the show, Biggestloserclub.com, “The Biggest Loser” consumer products program has generated over $100 million in spending, with presence at more than 25,000 major retailers to date. The program currently features a wide variety of health and fitness products including The Biggest Loser video game for Wii and Nintendo DS & DSi, The Biggest Loser Resort at Fitness Ridge, which is a full-service, destination health & fitness spa, The Biggest Loser Meal Plan, a New York Times best-selling books series, a best-selling fitness DVD series, a line of appliances, fitness equipment, protein supplements and several other health and lifestyle based products. “The Biggest Loser” was recognized as a top brand of the year in Advertising Age’s 2008 Marketing 50. Check out www.biggestloser.com for more information.
About The Biggest Loser Know Your Number HealthScore
The Biggest Loser Know Your Number HealthScore provides a personalized roadmap to know the current status of your key health risk factors, specifically identify behavioral changes that will increase your likelihood of achieving the longest, healthiest life possible and allow one to continually track his/her progress to stay on course.
The Biggest Loser Know Your Number HealthScore was developed by scientists and medical experts at BioSignia, a leading biotechnology company based in the Research Triangle Park, N.C., who created a patented, state of the art tool for understanding health factors that is superior to standard methods. This unique predictive tool was based on the results of more than 100 clinical studies, and was validated at the highly regarded Duke University Medical Center, a pioneer in preventive health and wellness.
The Know Your Number disease risk assessment tool was first made available to physicians for use in predicting the risk of chronic diseases in patients. For developing Know Your Number, BioSignia has received the Disease Management Association of America’s prestigious award for Best Enabling Tool for Disease Management in 2004.
Visit www.BiggestLoserKnowYourNumber.com for more on the consumer product or visit www.biosignia.com to learn more about the company behind the technology.
About NBC Universal Television DVD, Music, and Consumer Products Group
NBC Universal is a leader in providing entertainment programming to the domestic and international marketplaces. NBC Universal Television DVD, Music, and Consumer Products Group manages all global ancillary television business endeavors for the NBC Universal Television Group, including third-party home entertainment distribution, consumer products, musical soundtracks, special markets projects and the NBC Universal Online Store.
About Reveille
Reveille is a leading independent studio focused on exploiting worldwide intellectual property rights in scripted and unscripted television and digital entertainment, and a world leader in creating integrated marketing opportunities for advertisers. Reveille is known for popular and award-winning hit series including THE BIGGEST LOSER, THE OFFICE, UGLY BETTY, THE TUDORS, IT'S ON WITH ALEXA CHUNG, TABATHA'S SALON TAKEOVER, SHEAR GENIUS and PARENTAL CONTROL. Reveille has developed many original online series for brands including the series FIT TO BOOM for Subway and IT'S EVERYBODY'S BUSINESS WITH JACK AND SUZY WELCH for Microsoft. Upcoming television series include THE BURIED LIFE, MASTERCHEF, GIGANTIC and BREAKTHROUGH WITH TONY ROBBINS. Through its distribution arm, Shine International, Reveille distributes its extensive library of programming to more than 150 countries. Reveille is part of the Shine Group, one of the world's foremost multinational entertainment and drama companies.
I really like the biggest loser. Sometimes I think that they spend way too much time focusing on the things that look best on TV and not on the things that really work to lose weight. i.e. they spend way too much time focusing on doing crazy workouts and not enough on making good diet decisions, etc. But overall, I think that the show is doing some great things to promote awareness of obesity and the healthcare related problems that it solves
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