Choose Healthier. One mobile app. Over 70,000 ways to be healthy.

It’s safe to say that mobile technology has permeated the daily routines of many Americans. Originally created as a portable device to send emails and access the Internet on the go, the smartphone has evolved to become the personal epicenter of information and entertainment –fitting in the palm of the user’s hand. Pretty incredible.

According to the Pew Research Center, 64% of adults claimed to own a smartphone in 2014, up from 35% in 2011. This has made the smartphone an advantageous medium for health-focused organizations to post messages, offer resources and host applications that promote healthy living and behaviors.

IT’S TIME TEXAS is a local Austin nonprofit making healthy easier for residents of Central Texas. I started my practicum at the organization after hearing rumors of a new health resource mobile app that would be launched this summer, and to a public health student, a new program screams opportunity for evaluation. Thus, my adventure with the Choose Healthier Mobile App began.

Jenna Beyer (left) and Kelli Lovelace (right)

The Choose Healthier Mobile App is a health resource application that connects Austin residents with local opportunities and activities that promote exercise, health, wellness and nutrition. Whether it is an introduction to Kokoro Judo for kiddos or a free community cooking class, the app currently hosts over 70,000 activities by more than 500 local organizations or “providers.”

The concept of the Choose Healthier Mobile App was born over two years ago with a sharing of ideas by IT’S TIME TEXAS CEO and founder, Dr. Baker Harrell and Texas Center for the Prevention and Treatment of Childhood Obesity Medical Director, Dr. Stephen Pont. Curious to learn about how the app went from a conversation between big thinkers to my iPhone, I interviewed several members of the Choose Healthier Mobile App development team to get the whole story.

Kelli Lovelace, a recent MPH graduate from the UT School of Public Health Austin Regional Campus, began as a development intern at IT’S TIME TEXAS in 2014, working with Scott Bodner, Vice President of Project Development. When asked to choose from one of several programs, Kelli enthusiastically picked Choose Healthier as her project of focus. “I thought it would be a great opportunity to work with emerging technologies.” As Scott and others established the connection with now developer Chaotic Moon, Kelli worked with other interns to recruit Austin providers.

But materializing a mobile app is no easy task. “We did a lot of work figuring out how to get people on board, which was a challenge because the app didn’t yet exist,” Kelli explained. Jenna Beyer, Choose Healthier Coordinator at IT'S TIME TEXAS, has also worked with the app since 2014. “In the beginning, it was hard to not come across as sales people,” she said. “But once we were able to explain that the app is a free marketing tool and a huge help to the community, it was hard for providers to say no.” Since then, developing relationships with providers has become Jenna’s favorite part of working with Choose Healthier.

"Event card" in the Choose Healthier App

At the same time, many members of the team at IT’S TIME TEXAS hadn’t built an app before, and working with software developers was a new experience for many. Tom Young, Director of Programs at IT’S TIME TEXAS said, “Even though this is our second mobile app, Teach Healthier being our first, we faced a steep learning curve in developing an app with so many features and such localized content.” Currently, the app is populated with activities collected and inputted by the Choose Healthier Mobile App team, but in time, providers will be able to add and edit events themselves – free of cost.

So what makes Choose Healthier different than the thousands of other health-focused apps on the market? According to Tom: “One of the hardest parts of being healthy is finding opportunities that are affordable, enjoyable, and that fit your schedule. Choose Healthier makes the search for the ‘right fits’ way easier.” In addition, the app is completely free for both the user and the provider.

My favorite question posed to Kelli, Jenna and Tom was concerning their vision for the Choose Healthier Mobile App in the future. Jenna offers, “I’m really looking forward to the ‘deals’ portion of the project starting up. Apps like Groupon charge providers to post discounts and specials. Choose Healthier Deals will be free and valuable to providers and users.”

Coming from a public health point of view, Kelli envisions ways that data collected from the app could be used to get programming into otherwise under-served areas of Austin. “My vision is that Choose Healthier becomes a tool that not only connects people to existing opportunities happening in their area, but also shows the gaps where activities aren’t happening.” She continues to explain how valuable this data would be to local organizations looking to bring health programs to areas of Austin that need them.

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Tom’s vision takes Choose Healthier outside of Austin. “Imagine a work trip or vacation where you can easily find healthy things to do in a city you are visiting. Being healthy should be easier both at home and on-the-go, and that's our goal.” In the future, the team at IT’S TIME TEXAS plans to expand the Choose Healthier Mobile App to other cities in Texas.

If the concept of a free, one-stop-shop health resource mobile app is proven to increase the community’s level of participation in healthy opportunities, or even just users' awareness of these opportunities, I see the Choose Healthier Mobile App acting as model program for the nation. This is why I’m optimistic about the results of my evaluation. If we can show that this type of program works in Texas, why not expand and offer Choose Healthier to other states, too?

For now, the Choose Healthier Mobile App offers endless opportunities for individuals and families in Austin to be healthy. If you’re looking for a tool to make healthy easier for you, try the Choose Healthier Mobile App!

Download in Apple’s App Store or Android’s Google Play Store or access on your computer at http://www.choosehealthier.org.

If you’re a provider interested in putting your events, classes or activities on the app, email Jenna Beyer at jenna@itstimetexas.org.

Written by:
Kayla Albrecht
MPH Candidate and Graduate Assistant
University of Texas Health Science Center
School of Public Health - Austin Regional Campus