Healthymagination

We kicked off the Year of Better Health at today’s event with Michelle Kwan and Dr. Roizen. We joined them to discuss what it means to create a culture of wellness and to learn more about the results of the Better Health Study that GE conducted last year.

Michelle Kwan is the most highly decorated figure skater in US history, and builds health into her lifestyle regardless of whether she’s on the ice. “I think people have to turn inwards and take care of themselves better,” she said. She and Dr. Roizen discussed the importance of making time to exercise by beginning with small steps and that healthymagination can make it easier for anyone to live a healthier life.

Better Health Study Results

As part of today’s event GE announced the results of its Better Health Study. Conducted with Cleveland Clinic and Ochsner Health System, the study offers compelling insights into the way people think about health and health care, and how doctors and patients alike view the doctor-patient relationship.

Many of the results would probably surprise most people. Some highlights include:

• Most Americans give themselves ”A” or “B” grades, while doctors give Americans low grades on personal health
• Many Americans say they would rather live in pain than visit their doctor – and prioritize household chores over healthy living
• Most Americans see health of others on wrong track – but not their own
• Many Americans have an easier time answering non-health-related questions than facts about their own health
• The study reveals opportunities for improvement in patient-doctor communications
  

A lot of our work at healthymagination is driven by findings like these. Our mobile app Morsel was designed to make healthier decisions a part of more people’s everyday lives. Our partnership with WebMD in creating the Better Health Conversation was conceived to improve the doctor-patient relationship. When being healthier is less daunting, we think it just might catch on.

Visualizing Better Health

The study findings are accompanied by another in our Visualizing Data series, in which we try to make health data more accessible and meaningful. The latest is by data designer Ben Fry, and helps crystallize the massive impact that some of these findings hint at.

At healthymagination, we hope to motivate people by visualizing complex healthcare data so that people can find personal relevance in it.

See the full data visualization on GE.com.

Press Coverage

The event led to some nice coverage, too. This HealthDay article reviewed the findings of our study, noting that “a majority of Americans believe their health is just fine – it’s everyone else who has the problem.” That’s a common mindset and one that we’re hoping to change.

Beth Comstock, Chief Marketing Officer for GE, weighed in with her thoughts on “treating the patient-doctor disconnect” in a Huffington Post article. Referring to the study, Beth said, “We were surprised to find that Americans are engaged in some pretty magical thinking about their health.” She was, in effect, referring to how Americans rate their health, and how that portrayal differs from what doctors have to say.

To add onto a busy day, we’ve been seeing all sorts of #healthymagination tweets, so the conversation is moving in the right direction.

More information about GE’s Better Health Study:
* Read the press release
* Read the Better Health Study fact sheet
* Top 10 Healthy Living Tips from Cleveland Clinic + Ochsner Health System