Brazilian Startup RadarFit Leverages AI to Promote Healthy Habits
Caroline Bishop Sep 27, 2024 03:02
RadarFit, a Brazilian wellness app, uses AI and gamification to encourage healthy habits, impacting employee wellness positively.
RadarFit, a women-led Brazilian wellness app, is harnessing the power of Microsoft's Azure AI to personalize physical and mental health experiences. Launched in 2020 by three female entrepreneurs, RadarFit has already gained over one million users through a unique gamification strategy aimed at promoting healthier lifestyles, according to Source LATAM.
Corporate Wellness Solution
While RadarFit is available to individual users, its primary focus is on providing comprehensive health and wellness programs to corporate clients. According to Chief Executive Officer Jade Utsch Filizzola, the app helps companies reduce high costs associated with employee health issues and the need to invest heavily in health benefits.
Brazil, like many rapidly urbanizing countries, faces high rates of heart disease and metabolic conditions such as diabetes and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The prevalence of NAFLD in Brazil is estimated to be around 35.3%, the highest in Latin America, compared to 25% worldwide, according to the Global Burden of Disease database. Many chronic conditions, including NAFLD, can be prevented or reversed with proper diet and exercise, notes the Journal of Hepatology.
Impact on Employee Health
Samuel Lopes Fontes, who oversees finance and HR at Cooabriel, Rigo’s employer, shared that the impact of RadarFit on employee health has been surprising. Encouraged by the app's AI-generated prompts, employees began exercising and adopting healthier lifestyles. Initially, 27 out of 470 employees signed up for RadarFit; now, 59 participate, and health complaints have dropped by half within the first six months of this year.
Lopes Fontes also benefited personally from the app. Diagnosed with fatty liver disease, he improved his diet and exercise routine, leading to his condition going into remission.
AI and Gamification
RadarFit leverages Microsoft's Azure OpenAI Service and Microsoft Copilot Studio to automate marketing and analyze data and user feedback. The app uses generative AI combined with a points system to incentivize healthier choices. Users receive personalized recommendations based on their habits, and points earned can be exchanged for donations to social or environmental causes or redeemed for products like appliances and electronics.
Tasks are categorized by difficulty, with different point values. For example, a 15-minute workout earns 3 points, while a 60-minute workout can be worth 9 points. Healthy meals earn 31 points, emphasizing the importance of diet. Drinking a glass of water, a simpler task, earns 5 points.
Encouraging Healthy Competition
The app also allows users to compare their progress with colleagues, fostering friendly competition. This feature, similar to language learning apps, can further motivate users to maintain healthy habits. Users can also opt out of company competitions if they prefer.
Tatiany Duarte, RadarFit’s Chief Technology Officer, who designed her first video game at age 15, believes that combining AI with gamification makes the process of adopting healthier habits more engaging and enjoyable.
For more information, visit Source LATAM.
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