IBM’s Almaden Research Center in San Jose, California, is known for innovation, but most of its work is focused on databases and disk drives. Now, however, the tech savvy crew is teaming up with health care providers and government policymakers to tackle complex health issues.
“The first target will be childhood obesity, a growing phenomenon that has been declared a national concern by first lady Michelle Obama. Experts say excess weight in childhood is linked to a host of expensive health problems in adulthood, including heart disease and diabetes.” Source: Contra Costa (CA) Times]
The overarching, and very aggressive goal of the Research Center’s efforts is to answer the question: “If you have extra money to spend, would it be better to spend it on building another park, or having another part, or having more physical education in schools, or improving school lunch programs?”
All of these strategies have been proven effective, but rarely are they compared to each other. Experts hope this type of comparison will help both government and the private sector put their limited resources to the best use.
Labels: childhood_obesity, government, prevention, computers
Posted By: My Overweight Child
