(This is an example of the weekly newsletters that go out to all users of The EdLogics Platform, a gamified space that improves employee engagement and health literacy. Contact us to learn how to get access for your organization.)
Hot enough that 90 degrees feels easy and breezy by comparison. Hot enough that I feel like I’m melting into an oozy puddle as I flop on the floor in front of my laughably inadequate portable AC unit, battling 115-degree temps and large, south-facing windows.
Outside, the plants and trees are scorched by direct sunlight and baked by the heat rising from the pavement. And not just the plants — in some parts of the country, the pavement and sidewalks are so hot they’re causing serious burns in people and pets.
It gets worse. Last year, more than 2,300 people in the US died from heat-related illnesses, the most in 45 years. This year is shaping up to be even hotter — and summer’s only half over.
So take the scorching temps seriously. Here are some tips that can help you protect yourself and your loved ones:
Log in now. Learn ways to stay safe from extreme heat and other threats.
(This is an example of the weekly newsletters that go out to all users of The EdLogics Platform, a gamified space that improves employee engagement and health literacy. Contact us to learn how to get access for your organization.)
I quit smoking. For good now.
It’s an odd feeling. This has happened a few times:
“I thought you quit?” my friend would say as I reached, again, for my NYC-priced Camel Blues (at that time, $15 a pack 😱).
“Sure,” I’d say. “I quit lots of times.”
Undermining, of course, the whole notion of quitting. That’s the nature of bad habits.
You know smoking’s not good for you. It hurts others. It’s expensive. And that’s nothing compared to the cancer, COPD, asthma, or heart disease you’ll almost certainly get. Diseases you can easily avoid by not smoking.
Believe me. I feel for you. More than once, I’ve decided, triumphantly, to finally quit smoking — and then reached for the next one within the same 30-second span.
It’s humbling. And it’s made it easier to empathize with, rather than judge, those who suffer from addiction.
I haven’t smoked for over 9 years now. Haven’t even wanted to. How’d I do it?
Everyone who quits will do it their own way. In my case, I took up yoga.
For someone who smoked, it was miserable at first. I was gasping for breath, dizzy, and inflexible. But that post-yoga feeling was unlike anything I’d ever experienced — wrung out, calm, happy, at peace — and I didn’t want to trade it for anything.
Not even cigarettes.
That’s the true power of habit — on both sides of the coin. Sure, it’s easy to slip into bad habits, to talk yourself into self-indulgence. But it’s also easy to develop, and stick to, good habits.
Once you get in the habit. 😉
It doesn’t have to be hot yoga (but try it!) — just anything that gets the monkey off your back. Get your mind off cigarette cravings with a quick walk. Ten push-ups. A game on your phone. A phone call to friends or family. A carrot. A handstand. A song and dance. Whatever it takes
The sooner you quit, the lower your risk for painful disease, hospital bills, and bitter regrets.
Log in now. Peruse our new slideshow: “What Happens When You Quit Smoking Tobacco.” The health benefits start within minutes — and will last you the rest of your (now longer) life.
Check back soon to see more updates on the Smoking Cessation learning page!
(This is an example of the weekly newsletters that go out to all users of The EdLogics Platform, a gamified space that improves employee engagement and health literacy. Contact us to learn how to get access for your organization.)
Few comments are more grating — except maybe “Awww, somebody’s got a case of the Mondays!” — especially if you are in a bad mood.
“I’ll show you how to cheer up ...” [brandishes fist].
Grumpy, blue, stressed, mopey, sulky — whatever your brand of bad mood is, you probably do need to cheer up if it’s that noticeable.
But that, like so much else, is easier said than done.
If you find yourself muttering under your breath more often than you’d like, remember that moods change. Feelings are fickle things.
The same circumstances that make you tear your hair out today might not even phase you tomorrow.
And you have a lot more control over your moods than you might think. Moods often have more to do with what’s going on inside your body than what’s happening out in the world.
It’s not about just looking on the bright side. Or ignoring the sadness, or explaining it away. You don’t have to see the silver lining for every cloud, or deny how overwhelming and exhausting life can be. We all have a right to our feelings. But you have to admit, it all seems even worse when you’re in a bad mood.
And you can take concrete steps to feel better than you do now.
Next time you’re down in the dumps, ask yourself these questions before you react to your coworkers, send that snide email, yell at your kids, or make any important decisions.
👉 Did you sleep well last night?
Just try feeling good when you get up early for work after a late night of Netflix and noshing nachos. Just try maintaining a positive mental attitude when your 6 am alarm drags you kicking and screaming into hateful wakefulness. Even if the adrenaline and caffeine get you through the morning, the afternoon slump is gonna getcha. And when your weary brain is making you overreact to some mundane challenge, the last thing you need is for a coworker to snark, “Looks like somebody needs a nap ...”
👉 When’s the last time you ate (and what was it?)
Just as with sleep, what and when you eat has a huge impact on how you feel. Anyone with kids sees the direct relationship between junk food and temper tantrums, let alone inconsistent bedtimes (see above).
But the same is true for adults operating on too little sleep and unhealthy breakfasts come mid-afternoon. By the time we try to combat fatigue and low blood sugar with a sugary snack and extra coffee, the result is often irritability — or even an embarrassing tantrum — over little things.
Woe to the unfortunate soul who gets in the way of a hangry, over-caffeinated office worker.
👉 Have you been exercising? Like, at all?
When you move, sweat, and get your heart rate up, your body makes these feel-good chemicals called endorphins all by itself. It’s amazing! No other drug — not alcohol, caffeine, prescription meds, or herbal supplements — comes close to that natural high. There’s no shortcut. No substitute. You can’t fake it! You have to move. The bonus is that regular exercise helps you sleep better and feel more motivated to choose healthy foods, which in turn can help you avoid bad moods.
Move your body. There’s no better way to feel better.
👉 Are you taking care of yourself in other ways?
Find a daily practice that helps you keep things in perspective, regardless of your current mood. This can be your exercise — yoga, walking, hiking, yardwork, whatever you like. Or maybe it’s doing the day’s crossword, reading a novel at the coffeeshop, journaling, or playing a game. Or woodworking, building model airplanes, making art, or cooking delicious food. Or just sitting and meditating. Whatever gets you out of your own head and into that flow state, when you’re in the zone and fully focused on what you’re doing right now.
The trick is to make it a regular practice. Don’t wait till you feel like doing something — that moment might never come. Just do it because that’s what you do.
You might be surprised how a daily practice can recenter you and bring you back to a place of mindful self-awareness. It can help you keep things in context and take them in stride instead of overreacting because you’re feeling snappy.
Not to sound callous, but sometimes you just have to get over yourself. The world is no worse of a place after 4 hours of sleep than it is after 8, but it can definitely feel that way. Recognize your own limits — and your own power — when it comes to letting your mood affect your day.
Before you try pinning the blame on work frustrations, personal problems, the state of the world, social injustice, climate change — or even the constant eye-rolling from your teen — cover the basics. Get your sleep. Eat good food. Get active. Don’t reach for booze or coffee or a doughnut every time you want to feel better.
It won’t solve all your problems. But it can make them feel a whole lot less daunting — and can do a lot to brighten a bad mood.
Log in now. Learn more about handling what gets you down — even if it’s your own state of mind.
n April 3rd, Norfolk State University hosted a gathering of students, faculty, healthcare professionals, and community leaders to delve into the crucial topic of enhancing health literacy — the ability to understand and act on basic health information — within college campuses and communities. The event was supported by NSU's Office of Health & Wellness and the Center for African American Public Policy in collaboration with EdLogics, a Virginia Beach-based company dedicated to improving health literacy. The symposium guests were welcomed by Student Affairs Vice President Leonard Brown, Ph.D.
Dr. Brown embraced the university’s efforts to reduce health disparities on the campus of NSU in communities of color. Greetings were provided by Mr. Gilbert Bland, President/CEO of the Urban League of Hampton Roads, and member of the NSU Board of Visitors who commended NSU for launching the Healthier757 initiative to improve the health of students, faculty, and administrators on the campus of NSU and throughout the Hampton Roads region.
The program featured a panel discussion moderated by Craig Loper, Sports Director at WAVY TV 10/WVBT Fox 43, and included:
Together, they addressed the significant health disparities prevalent in communities, particularly among people of color. The panel shed light on how the 757 region trails behind in health metrics related to diabetes, heart disease, cancer, infant mortality, and life expectancy, compared to the rest of Virginia and the US. They emphasized how low health literacy leads to unhealthy choices and poorer healthcare decisions — so the disparities continue.
Dr. Olusoji Akomolafe, Executive Director of the NSU Center for African American Public Policy introduced NSU President Javaune Adams-Gaston, Ph.D., and applauded her commitment to improving the health of NSU students and acknowledged her accomplishment of receiving NSU’s largest philanthropic gift of $40 million dollars from the Mckenzie Scott Foundation. During the event, President Javaune Adams-Gaston, Ph.D., read a health literacy proclamation underscoring the university's dedication to combating health disparities through research and innovative programs on the campus of NSU.
One such initiative is Healthier757, a regional effort focused on boosting the health literacy of Hampton Roads residents. The partnership between NSU and Healthier757 signifies a significant step toward addressing chronic health conditions and disparities in vulnerable communities.
NSU's collaboration with Healthier757 has enabled the university to pioneer the launch of Rewards for Healthy Living, making NSU the first Historically Black College and University (HBCU) in the nation and the first university in Virginia to do so. The digital platform offers engaging games, videos, quizzes, and articles on hundreds of health topics — along with cash rewards — and is available free of charge to all NSU students, faculty, staff, and administrators.
A student raffle, facilitated by Alexus Ross, an EdLogics Community Coordinator and recent NSU graduate and Healthier757 intern, awarded four $25 gift cards to participating students.
Vanessa Jenkins, Ed.D., Executive Director, NSU Health & Wellness, closed the program by underscoring the importance of improving health literacy among NSU students, which in turn will empower them to make better informed healthcare decisions all their lives
he candlelight flickers. You glance up. Your Valentine is already looking at you with soft eyes. Soft light dances on their face and you smile. Holding hands across the table, caressing thumbs, neither of you says anything. The sounds of a crowded restaurant fade as you’re lost in each other’s gaze.
Maybe not this year.
Valentine’s Day can be tough when you’re single. Everywhereyou look, you see couples holding hands, sharing chocolates, sending flowers,whispering sweet nothings. It can make anyone feel left out and lonely.
Why not use this February to nurture the relationships in your life that you care most about? That includes the one you have with yourself! Here are some tips to help you beat the blues and enjoy the day, with a friend or on your own.
Being single on Valentine’s Day gives you the opportunity to do what you love and indulge in some much-needed self-care. Spend the day at a spa, go shopping, or treat yourself to dinner out. Remember, you don’t need someone else to make you happy.
If you don’t want to spend the day alone, gather a group of single friends and celebrate together. Plan a date, exchange gifts, cook, watch movies, and talk about how annoying Valentine’s Day is.
If you’re feeling adventurous, try something new. Cook up an exotic new recipe. Go bungee jumping. Sign up for guitar lessons. Go horseback riding. Sing karaoke. Plan a solo adventure, like traveling to a new city or hiking a nearby trail. Attend a concert. Participate in a singles event or speed dating session. Doing something that takes you out of your comfort zone can be a great way to build confidence and fight loneliness.
Spending time helping others helps you feel fulfilled and connected to your community. Volunteer at a local charity, visit an elderly care home, or help out at a homeless shelter.
It’s more important than it sounds. Loneliness can hurt your health. Studies have shown that loneliness can lead to depression, anxiety, and even physical health problems like heart disease. That’s why it’s so important to build — and maintain — a strong community of friends and family.
Having a supportive network of people you can turn to for help and encouragement is essential for your well-being. Join a club, take up a sport, or just spend time with your neighbors — connection is everything.
Valentine’s Day is about honoring and tending to the supportive relationships in your life, whether they’re romantic or not. Embrace your independence, surround yourself with friends, get creative, and don’t forget the importance of community.
Log in now. Learn about other ways to stay healthy and add years to your life.
(This is an example of the weekly newsletters that go out to all users of The EdLogics Platform, a gamified space that improves employee engagement and health literacy. Contact us to learn how to get access for your organization.)
In 2012, Tom Chamberlain, PharmD, founded EdLogics, our gamified health education platform. Recently he shared how he first got the idea from working with patients, and the results so far.
Right. As a PharmD and an entrepreneur, I’ve been involved in starting and growing a number of companies, all of them focused on healthcare education and improving the utilization of healthcare services. My primary objective has always been to improve clinical outcomes and reduce healthcare costs for consumers and payors of healthcare services.
I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to manage my own patients during my doctor of pharmacy program and residency training. Having firsthand experience treating patients with chronic conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, and COPD, I knew the challenges of educating and engaging patients in the self-management of their conditions. Traditional educational strategies such as pamphlets and printouts weren’t effective in teaching patients what they needed to know to improve their conditions.
For people with diabetes, testing blood sugar is a routine part of managing their condition. If you’re injecting insulin or using a pump, you may have to test several times a day. Without accurate blood sugar tests, you might not get the right amount of insulin at the right times.
If you can’t measure your blood sugar, you can’t control it. And if you can’t control your blood sugar, you raise your risk of amputations, heart attacks, blindness, erectile dysfunction, and many other problems. One immediate risk is diabetic ketoacidosis, which comes on quickly and can be fatal. Even if you survive, your ER trip will cost thousands of dollars. And it all can be avoided with appropriate education.
Many patients seem to understand how to check their blood sugar once someone shows them. But it was clear to me that most of my patients had forgotten what they’d learned by their next visit. They still weren’t retaining the information needed to manage their diabetes.
This happened over and over again – and similar scenarios occurred with a number of patients with various chronic conditions. I realized we’d never be able to help our patients if we couldn’t find a better way to teach them what to do.
Yes, but a lot of people aren’t familiar with the term. Here’s one definition:
“Health literacy is the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions.”
Or to put it more simply:
“Health literacy means you can find and understand the information you need to make good decisions about your health.”
Low health literacy is now recognized as a critical barrier to effective and efficient healthcare. It’s an enormous problem, and the consequences are far-reaching. For instance, did you know that compared to patients with adequate health literacy, patients with low health literacy have:
In fact, the cost of low health literacy in the US is somewhere between $106 billion and $238 billion per year. It’s unreal!
If we want to improve health outcomes and lower healthcare costs, we need a way to reach consumers – a way that works for them long term.
Since I started working in the healthcare industry, the concept of health literacy has matured into an academic discipline. Institutions like Vanderbilt University have devoted teams of talented experts and researchers—like Russell Rothman, MD, MPP, arguably one of the top health literacy experts in the world—to help healthcare providers, employers, payors, and the public understand the implications of low health literacy—and develop effective solutions to address this major healthcare issue.
At EdLogics, we’ve teamed up with many leading academic medical centers and Centers of Excellence (CoE), as well as industry thought leaders like Dr. Rothman and former US Secretary of Health and Human Services Governor Tommy Thompson, to identify specific ways to improve health literacy.
The first step is to make learning fun and engaging. To do this, we employ and work with experienced clinicians, developers, designers, and gamification experts to create stimulating, engaging games that educate users on important health topics, from diabetes to the Zika virus, all developed with the low health literate user in mind.
To keep users coming back, we’ve developed innovative gamification and unique incentive strategies where users earn rewards by playing games and completing educational activities.
Employers can purchase a customized version of the platform, enabling employees and their families to play, learn, and win. And the cost is minimal: roughly $20 a year per family.
I’m very proud of our platform. It’s a product that educates consumers about chronic diseases, common medical conditions, general health, well-being, medications, and how to navigate the healthcare system. We’ve heard inspiring testimonials from employers and employees, and we have impressive statistics on knowledge improvement and consumer engagement. In fact, 100% of users improve their knowledge of a given condition after completing our learning activities, and 79% of users say they will change their behavior based on what they learned.
We’re continuously making enhancements, all with a focus on improving consumer engagement. That’s the key to being able to influence positive behavior change and deliver the most important, lifesaving knowledge. Not to mention the opportunity to reduce pain and suffering – both physical and financial.
A version of this article was originally published on 2/22/2017.
ou can’t control many of the factors that contribute to high healthcare costs: expensive drugs, the cost of providers, rising insurance premiums. So, what can you do?
Improve health literacy, the ability to understand and act on health information.
Watch health literacy expert Russell Rothman, MD, MPP of Vanderbilt University and gamification guru Brian Primack, MD, PhD, then of the University of Pittsburgh (now at University of Oregon), outline problems with existing health education programs and describe real-life solutions.
Watch the entire webinar recording below.
Here's the skinny:
EdLogics wants to improve low health literacy through education.
It’s not about avoiding medical care. It’s about getting the right care at the right time.
We want to empower people to make real changes in their day-to-day habits, so they can stay healthy and keep their families healthy, too.
We want to educate people to prevent sickness before it starts, to show them what to do and where to get care when they do get sick, and help them become well-informed, proactive healthcare consumers.
Ultimately, EdLogics wants to improve health outcomes, reduce the number of claims, and lower costs. For everyone.
Dr. Primack:
“In the US, 1 in 3 Americans can’t follow directions on a drug label. And I have to say, even with a medical degree, I sometimes get a prescription for one of my kids or something and I have to look at it pretty carefully with that small print and the code that it’s in. So it’s not surprising that it’s a challenge for many different people.”
Dr. Primack:
“When someone, for example, just has an ankle sprain — if they can access and follow good information that they have — then they very well might be the kind of person who will say, ‘You know, I don’t need to go the emergency room. I can wait.’
A couple days later, they’ve already improved with ice, elevation and rest — all things that are free.
Whereas another person who is having more difficulty understanding or accessing information might decide to go to the ER for the same condition, and the second they get through the ER door, already they’ve racked up very high costs. They’ve put themselves at risk for getting some kind of a hospital-acquired infection or some additional problem.
Even though this is one small example, when we start quoting issues like ‘90 million Americans have poor health literacy, and this costs an extra $150-200 a year,’ you can see how these numbers add up.”
Knowing what to do to prevent chronic disease, how to take medications, and where to go when you’re sick — and acting on that knowledge — can have a huge impact on both personal health and the number of costly healthcare claims.
✅ Improved knowledge of health issues
✅ Improved behaviors
✅ Improved outcomes for:
Dr. Rothman:
“Even after you take into account a patient’s education level, their income, their insurance, and a host of other factors, we find that their literacy level is an independent predictor of how they do with their health.”
Of course, health education programs trying to raise people’s health literacy already exist.
But are they actually making a difference?
Pamphlets: Often don’t make it from the doctor’s office to the car.
Health websites: Too high-literacy, not personalized, and not always trustworthy.
Doctor visits: Patients may misunderstand, forget instructions, or feel too embarrassed to ask questions.
Dr. Rothman:
“And, unfortunately — and I say this as a primary care physician [laughing] — but there’s also a lot of variation in how well doctors communicate with their patients and their families. If you ask most clinicians we would, of course, tell you that we’re excellent communicators, and our patients all nod their heads and seem to understand everything that we say to them. … Some studies suggest patients only recall about 20% of what’s said to them by the time they get home.
So we like to think we’re all good communicators as clinicians, but a lot of us struggle — using a lot of jargon that might be hard for patients to understand, maybe speaking at too high of a literacy level without enough plain language, and giving people too much information to try to take in during one single visit. We often don’t assess patient understanding before they leave.”
Poorly designed games: Many focus on the wrong goal.
Dr. Primack:
“So there would be hamburgers and pieces of pizza, and you are supposed to shoot those, but the salad you are supposed to let live. You can probably imagine the next step, which was that they studied this and they found that being exposed to this game and playing this game a lot didn’t actually make people change their diet in any way.
It’s just a caution that even though sometimes gamification is really valuable, if the game is poorly designed, that’s just not a magic quick fix.”
It’s one thing to learn more health facts. It’s another thing to change your daily habits — the one thing that has more of an effect on health than any other single factor.
Dr. Primack:
“The question is: Can we take principles of gamification and game based learning — the interactivity, the unique incentives — and can we use that to leverage for positive change? And what we have found is that, especially in the area of health literacy, there is a lot that we can do.”
Dr. Rothman:
“What we really need to think about more is how to link people to other social support mechanisms to help them with their health. We have lots of studies now that really demonstrate that patients who have strong social support do much better with their health. There’s actually an epidemic of loneliness going on in a lot of countries.
And even when people are with their family, they may not have social support for disease that they’re dealing with.
So it can be really helpful to help a patient or employee and their family link to community resources — maybe to disease-specific organizations if they have a certain disease, or to a community organization that provides peer support. Or we can help them gain access to exercise or healthy food. Even to help them with getting additional support from their own family.”
Dr. Rothman:
“Health literacy is a major problem in the United States. We have at least 90 million Americans with only basic or below basic literacy skills. Even patients with good literacy skills can struggle to navigate what’s become a very complex healthcare system when trying to take care of their health or the health of their family.
We have found that by addressing health literacy issues, we can improve care for patients with low literacy. Studies have suggested that using good forms of health communication and addressing health literacy can even improve knowledge and behavior for people with high health literacy. So improving how we educate and communicate can be of great value to everyone.”
Dr. Primack:
“There are so many challenges here. If it were easy, we wouldn’t have 90 million Americans with low health literacy. But I think that it’s important to end on a positive note and say that we really are moving the needle. There have been studies that show that using the kind of principles that we talked about today really do help and change people’s lives. I think that that is what we need to hold up as we move forward.”
A version of this article was first published 10/12/2018.
ooner or later, we all get sick, and we all need healthcare.
Of course, not all Americans have equal access to healthcare. Some of us can’t afford it. Some live far from quality providers. Some experience bias based on race, sex, age, or gender identity.
The result?
People suffer and die from health problems they could have avoided — if they’d gotten the care they needed.
Untreated conditions require more expensive treatments down the line. And — whether it’s the person, the hospital, health insurance, or the government — someone has to pay for it.
Low health literacy and less access to healthcare for some people means higher healthcare costs for everyone.
February is Black History Month. Research shows that historically, people of color often receive poorer healthcare than white people, for many reasons. This is known as healthcare inequality, and it’s a problem that affects us all.
We asked Dr. Seth Serxner, PhD, MPH, EdLogics Chief Health Officer, to answer some key questions about healthcare inequality — and why we all should care.
Basically, it means that not everyone has equal access to healthcare or health education. Those disparities have been documented among African Americans, women, the elderly, the LGBTQ+ community, and many ethnic groups.
Disparities in healthcare can occur because of provider bias. The providers themselves may or may not be aware they have certain biases.
This is also an issue: Currently available medical science tends to be based on clinical findings of white male study participants. Those results may or may not generalize to people of color, women — anyone who is not a white male.
Disparities in health literacy put those populations who are already experiencing disparities in service at an even greater disadvantage. Because of a lower ability to understand health information and navigate the system, they are not as well equipped to advocate for themselves or others in their care.
Health disparities put people’s lives and health at risk. For example, women are often not treated for heart attacks with the same urgency as men, which puts women at greater risk of death.
Delayed treatment or lack of treatment for people of color can lead to later stage disease diagnosis or disease mismanagement, which in turn may lead to more serious health consequences.
In addition to the unnecessary pain and suffering, there are increased cost consequences of treating people at later disease stages. These greater costs affect the healthcare system as a whole and result in greater costs for everyone.
👉 Overall, the goal of health equity is to provide everyone the opportunity to live healthy and active lives by addressing disparities in healthcare and health literacy. 👈
Equally important are social health essentials and personal determinants of health — such as housing and access to nutritious food, having social connections, a sense of purpose, and a positive outlook.
Our healthcare system needs to do a better job of training medical professionals about health disparities and help them be aware of their biases.
Those that pay for healthcare, such as insurance companies and employers, need to hold providers accountable for disparities with key performance metrics.
And individuals — regardless of ethnic background or gender identity — can strive to be prepared to advocate for themselves and others by increasing their health literacy.
At the community and employer level, providing opportunities for people to increase their health literacy is key to addressing this issue.
It’s important to note that our health system is complicated and health information is complex. Translating public health and clinical information to the personal level is challenging for most people from all walks of life. Low health literacy does not necessarily mean low literacy — some very intelligent and well-read people find it difficult to navigate our health system no matter their education level. It is NOT an issue of intelligence.
No matter who you are or what you know, you can and should improve your health literacy. It could save you some pain, some money, and even your life.
Log in now. Learn more about healthcare inequality, how it affects all of us, and what we can do about it.
(This is an example of the weekly newsletters that go out to all users of The EdLogics Platform, a gamified space that improves employee engagement and health literacy. Contact us to learn how to get access for your organization.)
