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Technology fosters employee wellness participation, accountability

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Incorporating high-tech gadgetry into wellness programs can boost wellness program participation rates and ensure greater accountability among employees, employers and gamification experts are finding.

Rick Stull, wellness coordinator for Colorado Springs School District 11, said the school district used the SonicPed, a wireless and waterproof activity-tracking device provided by Carlsbad, Calif.-based Sonic Boom Wellness, as an inducement to encourage employees to participate in biometric health screenings.

Sonic Boom rebranded the Pebble tracking device made by Shelton, Conn.-based FitLinxx as the SonicPed, said Danna Korn, Sonic Boom's CEO and co-founder.

“It's generated a lot of enthusiasm among our benefits-eligible employees,” Mr. Stull said. “The SonicPed was free'' if you tracked height, weight, waist measurement and basic blood work.

In 2012, the first year the Colorado Springs school district offered the SonicPeds, 68% of employees signed up for biometric screenings, Mr. Stull said.

Vlad Gyster, CEO and co-founder of H.Engage, a Boston-based startup that uses text messages as part of a wellness gamification strategy, has seen wellness program participation rates increase significantly when technology is used.

For example, Michelin North America's health risk assessment completion rates were 26% higher for employees who agreed to accept regular wellness prompts via text messaging, according to a case study published by H.Engage.

While offering a free gadget may ensure greater employee engagement, it also can satisfy an ulterior motive: accountability.

“I like having a device or something to report into,” said Merry DeMartino, an executive vice president at Event Network Inc. in San Diego.

“We tried to do some homemade gamification where you might have some people not be entirely truthful. It can be de-motivating. But you can't trick the pedometer.”

The devices also make tracking activity effortless for employees. The Pebble, developed by FitLinxx, downloads steps, calories burned, activity time and distance traveled via a wireless Internet connection.

“When you walk into your workplace or home, the device automatically downloads the data into your PC. The user doesn't have to do anything as long as you're within 100 feet” of the FitLinxx USB connector plugged into the computer, said Dave Monahan, FitLinxx's CEO.

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