ShapeUp debuts Empower, a new online weight loss and diabetes prevention program

PROVIDENCE – ShapeUp, a provider of social networking and incentive-based wellness solutions, recently launched Empower, an online weight loss and diabetes prevention solution.
The year-long program is designed to help participants overcome barriers to weight loss and maintain a healthy lifestyle, according to information from ShapeUp.
The company said that Empower “combines proven weight loss strategies with ShapeUp’s proprietary Social Wellness technology to encourage behavior change in a healthy, sustainable way.”
“The program’s consumer-friendly design seamlessly integrates with over 100 mobile health tools, including wireless weight scales from Fitbit and Withings, fitness wearables from Jawbone and Garmin, and mobile health apps from MapMyFitness and FatSecret, to enhance the participant experience and improve adherence,” ShapeUp said in a press release.
The program features a two-part approach to weight loss. In the initial 12-week intervention phase, participants work towards initial weight loss goals with daily structure and support, plus video content focused on exercise and nutrition. The second phase of the program, called Thrive, runs for the remainder of the year, and helps participants sustain their behavior changes over time.
“Though metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes are among the most prevalent and costly health issues facing our society today, it is important to remember that these conditions are preventable and can even be reversed by changing diet and exercise habits,” Dr. Rajiv Kumar, founder and CEO of ShapeUp, said in a statement. “We designed this powerful weight management program specifically for employers and health plans to help them improve population health and lower costs in a way that’s proven to be effective.”
Studies conducted in partnership with weight loss researcher Rena Wing, of the Weight Control & Diabetes Research Center, The Miriam Hospital and The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, found that early versions of the Empower intervention phase produced “clinically significant and cost-effective weight loss, with an average participant losing 4.2 percent of total body weight in 12 weeks.”
ShapeUp’s social wellness platform is used by more than 500 employers and health plans.