Program Match & Methods
Social Impact
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the US annually. Of these deaths, nearly 50% are people of color. These statistics illustrate massive health disparities within the country. Oben seeks to be a solution to these inequalities, bridging the disconnect between medical resources and underserved communities that are overwhelmingly impacted by heart disease. Holistic treatment methods have proven to be successful in the treatment of heart disease. These treatment options are commonly accessible in affluent communities, but much less so in minority or low-income communities. Currency tools fail to consider key social determinants of health, and the overwhelming normalization of heart disease amongst people of color. The holistic treatment options in underserved communities are slim to none, and thus the epidemic of heart disease amongst people of color continues to be significantly disproportionate.
Culturally Competent Protocols
Oben prioritizes incorporation of the social determinants of health when creating treatment plans. Doing so will enable us to be effective in reversing heart disease and hypertension in underserved communities. The social determinants of health (SDOH) include Safety in housing, transportation, and neighborhoods; Racism, discrimination, and violence; Education, job opportunities, and income; Access to nutritious foods and physical activity opportunities; Polluted air and water; Language and literacy skills (department of health and human services).
Most of our patients are impacted by several of these. SDOH contribute widely to health disparities and inequities. For example, people who don't have access to grocery stores with healthy foods are less likely to make steps towards improving their health. This raises their risk of health conditions i.e. heart disease, diabetes, and obesity — and even lowers life expectancy relative to people who do have access to healthy foods (department of health and human services).
Oben recognizes that simply promoting healthy choices won't eliminate heart disease or other chronic conditions. Instead, public health organizations and their partners in sectors such as education, transportation, and housing, need to take action to improve the conditions in people's environments (DHHS). We believe that our application and expansion of Oben into underserved communities will address SDOH at their root. Oben will become a beacon of public health in the United States.
When a patient is assigned to use the Oben application, we assess for several factors to see if they are a fit for the program:
Patients must have a diagnosis of High Blood pressure and/or heart disease from their physician.
Patients must have a working smart phone with either data or access to wifi.
Through the pre-screening patient must demonstrate a level of desire/motivation to make changes in their eating, exercise, and stress habits.
Through the pre-screening patient must demonstrate a desire to try new things.
Through the pre-screening, patients will be screened out who have an ongoing and active mental illness that affects their ability to take care of their own basic needs.
The Oben Program: What to expect
Patients will fill out the pre-screening questionnaire prior to the onset of the program.
Once patients have been pre-screened and accepted, they will onboard onto our 12 week program via their smartphone. They will also be sent a blood pressure cuff.
Once logged in, patients will be guided through a 15-20 minute onboarding, where they answer a series of questions about current foods they eat, how they obtain meals (ie eating out, eating in, fast food, restaurants, convenience stores and grocery stores), exercise habits, the neighborhood they live in, current stressors vs. how they are coping with them. From there, we will use our algorithm to create a tailored program.
The categories for our program are nutrition, exercise, and stress management. The patient will work on two categories at a time, completing a 5-15 minute exercise or activity based on the educational content piece.
Treatment plans are assigned from onboarding questions, which address aspects of the patients lifestyle, eating habits, exercise habits, daily stressors, as well as access to food, neighborhood safety, and eating out versus eating in.
Each skill will be broken down into habits such as, in the nutrition category a patient will work on the habit, “lowering salt without sacrificing taste,” for one week and then “watch your salt when eating out” all focusing on salt reduction, but different aspects of building a habit of reducing salt.
Patient resources available during the program:
Patients will have access to a health coach via a messaging system on the application. This will allow for patients to get support, ask questions, and/or set up a one-on-one meeting in-person over video if they are struggling with the program.
Patients will be provided with a blood pressure monitor for the duration of the program that will allow them to take daily blood pressure readings.
Health coaches can provide outside referrals to mental health practitioners if patients would like extra support.
Patient outcomes:
Outcomes will vary based on severity of the patient’s blood pressure and/or heart condition at the start of the program, engagement and compliance with treatment program/daily activities, as well as willingness and ability to receive support from their health coach. Patients with more severe conditions and more significant stressors, may take longer to normalize blood pressure.
Based on the work and estimates of our clinical team, patients will likely achieve an 8-10 point improvement in blood pressure when they complete 100% of the program. With 80% of the program completed, a 6-8 point improvement, and with 60% completed a 4-6 point improvement.