IBM initiates multi-year reseach effort to curb childhood obesity
IBM has initiated a multi-year research effort initially focusing on childhood obesity to connect and analyze collections of data from a variety of sources in order to enable individuals, governments and businesses to better understand actions to take to improve human health.
According to the company, chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and obesity account for 70 percent of all deaths in the U.S. and more than $1.5 trillion of healthcare spending annually. The IBM research project will combine and analyze data sources to simulate the cause-and-effect relationships between agriculture, transportation, city planning, eating and exercise habits and socio-economic status to make fact-based recommendations of actions to take and ones to avoid.
The Armonk, N.Y.-headquartered IBM stated that it intends to partner with public policy and food experts, medical clinicians, economists, simulation experts, industry leaders, universities and others in this collaborative endeavor.
According to the company, chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and obesity account for 70 percent of all deaths in the U.S. and more than $1.5 trillion of healthcare spending annually. The IBM research project will combine and analyze data sources to simulate the cause-and-effect relationships between agriculture, transportation, city planning, eating and exercise habits and socio-economic status to make fact-based recommendations of actions to take and ones to avoid.
The Armonk, N.Y.-headquartered IBM stated that it intends to partner with public policy and food experts, medical clinicians, economists, simulation experts, industry leaders, universities and others in this collaborative endeavor.