Using the iPod Touch to Enhance Patient-Physician Interaction to Increase Physical Activity and Healthy Eating

Background: Although there is a growing awareness of the health consequences of physical inactivity and unhealthy eating, identification of these unhealthy behaviors and counseling by physicians in ambulatory care remain problematic. We tested the feasibility of using the iPod touch for patient health behavior assessment and printing summary reports to cue patient-physician collaborative goal-setting on health behavior change in ambulatory care. Methods: All consenting patients ≥18, scheduled for routine office visits, were prompted to use a secure iPod for targeted health behavior assessment (HBA) before encounter with their primary care physician (PCP). Patients and PCPs received generated patient HBA reports. Patients were phoned within one week to assess their experiences with using the iPod. Results: Of 293 patients approached, 109 (37.2%) consented; mean BMI was 30.9, most (58.7%) were aged 18-45, 68.8% were female, and 63.3% were White. On average, <1 minute was needed to provide instruction on using the iPod. Of those successfully followed (n=83;76.1%), the vast majority reported positive experiences with the iPod: easy to use (98.8%); words easy to see (100%); questions easy to understand (97.6%); not rushed to answer the questions (89.2%); report easy to understand (93.8%); and would use the information to better health (93.8%). Almost a third discussed the report with their PCP, while 29.3% established collaborative goal-setting on health behavior change with their PCP. Conclusions: We found the iPod touch as a feasible device to assess and assist with health behavior change on physical activity and healthy eating in the ambulatory care setting.