Intelligent nudges for Cardiovascular Health

The Darzi Critical Review of the NHS (2024), recommends a move towards a community-based NHS neighbourhood of care, disease prevention and a tilt towards technology, AI and Life Sciences.

Small changes can lead to big impacts, especially in population health. For example, reducing systolic blood pressure across an entire population could significantly lower cardiovascular risk and all-cause mortality. However, changing population behaviors related to alcohol consumption, diet, and physical activity presents a complex challenge. Insights from behavioral science, particularly nudge theory, combined with Artificial Intelligence (AI), offer promising solutions to address these challenges at scale.

Behavioural science

The Nudge theory, first introduced by Thaler and Sunstein (2008), highlights how small, indirect suggestions can encourage healthier choices without restricting freedom. As highlighted by the Lancet Commission on Obesity (2019), reshaping environments and behaviors is critical for addressing population-level health risks, including cardiovascular disease. In population health, nudging can influence behaviors like alcohol consumption, dietary choices, and physical activity, which are notoriously difficult to change. The challenge lies in overcoming ingrained habits, cognitive biases, and environmental factors. AI helps to address these obstacles by delivering tailored, real-time interventions at scale.

UK Startups Leading the Charge

The UK already boasts a range of pioneering companies addressing these challenges, here are just three examples:

1. Liva Healthcare (DigitalHealth.London Accelerator) provides an AI-powered platform and nine month programme that offers personalised digital coaching and lifestyle management. By delivering tailored nudges to encourage healthier behaviors like reducing alcohol intake and improving diet, the platform has shown significant potential for population health improvement. Liva’s AI-based coaching is rooted in behavioral science, offering ongoing support for cardiovascular health.
2. Oviva (DigitalHealth.London Accelerator and National Innovation Accelerator) is another UK-based startup using AI and digital support to improve dietary habits, particularly for individuals at risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. 100% of the costs are covered by then NHS to provide personalised nutritional coaching and has demonstrated success in promoting weight loss and healthier eating behaviors.
3. Cera (KQ Labs, DigitalHealth.London Accelerator) uses AI-driven predictive analytics to optimise health management and home care services. Cera's AI technology anticipates individual needs and delivers real-time, personalised nudges for physical activity and medication adherence, improving cardiovascular outcomes for elderly populations.

AI-enhanced population health interventions

Beyond the UK, several startups across the USA and Asia-Pacific are applying AI to address similar health challenges, here are just a couple which feature in the published literature:

1. Noom (USA) uses AI to deliver personalised behavioral interventions for healthy living and weight loss. The platform’s grounding in research, is supported by 40 peer-reviewed studies on aspects of digital behavioural change interventions.
2. Koa Health (Singapore) offers AI-driven digital mental health solutions with applications for reducing alcohol consumption. Their predictive AI models analyse user behavior and provide real-time interventions to help individuals manage and improve mental wellness. Research published in Nature Medicine (2022) demonstrates the role of machine learning algorithms to predict a mental health crisis.

YouTube Health & Google Health: AI as a Catalyst for Behavior Change

A major development in the AI and health space is Google Health’s recent efforts to improve access to accurate health information for the general population. Partnering with YouTube Health, Google is engaging clinical contributors to deliver high-quality, evidence-based health content designed to promote better health behaviors. By using trusted voices, such as physicians and health experts, to create content that is both accessible and engaging. The hope is that this will help to combat misinformation and guide viewers toward healthier lifestyle choices.

Global Approaches to Population Health

Startups globally are applying AI to address specific population health challenges. In the UK, innovation through accelerators like DigitalHealth.London, National Innovation Accelerator, and KQ Labs have supported solutions that emphasise personalised digital coaching and real-time behavioral nudges.

There is immense potential in exploring how these different parts of the world are addressing these common yet region-specific challenges. I look forward to a global knowledge exchange to understand these approaches, and to garner insights into the broader global effort to improve population health, leveraging the power of AI and behavioral science to meet cardiovascular health needs.

#AI #BehavioralScience #NudgeTheory #PopulationHealth #CardiovascularHealth #HealthcareInnovation #Startups #UKHealthTech #GlobalHealth

Som related reading:

• Thaler, R. H., & Sunstein, C. R. (2008). Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness.
• The Lancet Commission on Obesity (2019). "The Global Syndemic of Obesity, Undernutrition, and Climate Change."