Lance Henderson, CEO, Zamzee

SuperNova Award Category

Data to Decisions

The Company

Zamzee is a social enterprise on a mission to make it easier for tweens and families to be more physically active. The Zamzee meter and motivational website is the result of several years of research and design based on feedback from kids and families. The Zamzee meter is sold for $29.95; access to the Zamzee website is free of charge. Zamzee was established in 2010 by HopeLab, a nonprofit research organization that uses the power and appeal of technology to improve the health of kids. Initial research and development of Zamzee was conducted by HopeLab, with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. For more information, please visit http://www.zamzee.com

The Problem

Kids in the U.S. simply aren’t as active as they once were, and their sedentary lifestyle puts them at far greater risk for heart disease and diabetes, and particularly for obesity, which has doubled in children and tripled in adolescents in the past 30 years (CDC). But parents often don’t have the knowledge or tools to motivate their kids to move, and overweight kids often view physical activity to be more work than play. If we’re going to rescue this and future generations of children from a lifetime of chronic poor health and skyrocketing medical bills, we need to get kids moving now and keep them active for years to come

The Solution

Kids in the U.S. simply aren’t as active as they once were, and their sedentary lifestyle puts them at far greater risk for heart disease and diabetes, and particularly for obesity, which has doubled in children and tripled in adolescents in the past 30 years (CDC). But parents often don’t have the knowledge or tools to motivate their kids to move, and overweight kids often view physical activity to be more work than play. If we’re going to rescue this and future generations of children from a lifetime of chronic poor health and skyrocketing medical bills, we need to get kids moving now and keep them active for years to come.

The Results

A six-month randomized, controlled study by HopeLab and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation examined the activity levels of 448 middle school-aged adolescents who used the Zamzee activity meter; one group used both the Zamzee meter and the motivational website together, and another used only the Zamzee meter and had no access to the site. Researchers found that kids who had access to the gamified website showed an average 59 percent increase in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity  over the control group – the equivalent of doing an extra 45 minutes of non-stop push-ups every week.  Among groups that were at special risk for sedentary behavior, the study reported an average103 percent increase among girls and average 27 percent increase among overweight participants.

The Technology

Bunchball’s Nitro gamification platform and avatar engine

Metrics

Kids provided feedback at every stage of Zamzee product development, including HopeLab’s Ruckus Nation andRuckus Research projects, and research shows that Zamzee increased physical activity in kids by 59% on average over a six-month study period.

You can read a full report on the findings of HopeLab's research on Zamzee here:http://www.hopelab.org/innovative-solutions/zamzee/

Disruptive Factor

Researchers also found that activity levels for kids using the meter and motivational website persisted across the entire the six-month study period. The study concluded that the sustained nature of kids’ engagement was due directly to the influence of gamification. The motivational experience created though gamification – which uses goal-setting, real-time feedback, competition, real and virtual rewards, leveling up and other proven motivational techniques – proved to be the disruptive agent that kept kids physically active over time.

Shining Moment

The overall goal of Zamzee is to get kids and their families more physically active.  Long-term, the objective is for increased physical activity to positively impact users’ health and reduce risk factors for diseases associated with a sedentary lifestyle.  Over the course of the six-month study, Zamzee users showed reduced gains in LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and improved blood sugar control.  Zamzee makes a real difference in the lives of participants – now that’s a shining moment that keeps on shining!

About Zamzee

Zamzee is a social enterprise on a mission to make it easier for tweens and families to be more physically active. The Zamzee meter and motivational website is the result of several years of research and design based on feedback from kids and families. The Zamzee meter is sold for $29.95; access to the Zamzee website is free of charge. Zamzee was established in 2010 by HopeLab, a nonprofit research organization that uses the power and appeal of technology to improve the health of kids. A six-month randomized, controlled study by HopeLab with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation showed that tweens using Zamzee were 59% more physically active then a control group, and showed improved biomarkers for key risk factors for heart disease and diabetes.  Today, pediatricians are using Zamzee programs in primary care practices and weight management clinics to measure, motivate and manage physical activity.