The Stress Tracker (https://market.android.com/details?id=com.stress1) is an integrative health mobile app that promotes mental health and emotional wellbeing. It empowers the general public to take charge of their emotional, mental, and physical health by keeping their daily stress under control.
According to a study by the American Academy of Family Physicians, 43 percent of all adults suffer adverse health effects related to stress. Chronic stress has been linked to obesity, depression, drug/alcohol abuse, and even cancer.
The Stress Tracker was developed by leading clinical psychologists at AboveStress, Inc. to help individuals reduce personal stress, to improve mental and emotional wellness, and to prevent debilitating and costly diseases.
The Stress Tracker was created using an evidence-based personal stress assessment instrument, Path to Resiliency, which employs Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Mindfulness principles in stress management. The lead psychologist and researcher, Dr. Lyle Miller, is a recognized leader in the stress management field.
Dr. Bonnie Strickland, former President of American Psychological Association, remarks on the Stress Tracker: “For those who want a simple, inexpensive and effective tool for identifying and managing stress, this application offers the most comprehensive, valid and reliable method available.”
Consumers can download the free version of the Android application from the Google Android Market: (https://market.android.com/details?id=com.stress1). The application does NOT require the purchase of additional products to be fully operational. We made this possible by providing an easy-to-use visual analog scale through the app.
FEATURES: a) Tracks individual stress levels, moods, sources of stress, symptoms, and lifestyle/behaviors in real-time with just a few simple taps; b) Includes a special note section to help users identify the most successful coping strategies; c) Allows users to personalize their experience by creating categories of their own; d) Displays all entries in virtual diary views; e) Displays history and trends in daily, weekly, and monthly bar charts; f) Brings insights into users’ emotional wellbeing by providing rankings for top sources of stress, symptoms, and unhealthy behaviors impacting personal stress and general health and wellness.
LAGNIAGGE: g) Includes a 6-point checklist for those who need immediate stress relief during a high-stress situation. h) Empowers users to take solid action steps to improve personal resiliency and emotional wellbeing through the Action Steps section. This section provides evidence-based expert knowledge and practical information that guides users to make healthy choices. i) Helps users enhance personal health and wellness goals by providing additional tools and tips through connected channels including Twitter (http://twitter.com/#!/abovestress, 14,690+ followers), Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/AboveStress, 4,000+ followers), and http://AboveStress.com.
FUN FACTOR: The Stress Tracker adapts a broad range of engaging, fun emoticons to help users pinpoint moods and feelings. This function is one of the most appealing features not only for general users, but also for those in Cultural and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) communities.
SUMMARY: In summary, the Stress Tracker uses innovative mobile technology to empower users to engage in health promoting behaviors related to physical and mental wellbeing. It provides an innovative yet easy-to-use tool that is attractive to people who are not early adopters and not “high tech.”
In addition to provide users with information and insights about their personal emotional wellbeing, the application offers 21 action steps aimed at integrating multiple aspects of wellness (balanced meals, adequate sleep, exercise, weight, social network, etc.)
We are very excited to submit our app to enter the Surgeon General's Healthy Apps Challenge. We hope that you will find the Stress Tracker to be a useful example of how innovators can develop consumer-facing technology to play a small yet meaningful role in creating a healthy and fit nation.
One final note: While the first version of Stress Tracker app was launched only in September, the app has been quickly adapted by many health and wellness programs throughout the country. Some pilot partners include: Ohio State University, Colgate University, State University of New York at Buffalo, Metropolitan State College of Denver, and Harvard University Happiness Project.
Our company has also been selected by the mHealth Summit 2011 as one of the most innovative startups impacting mobile health.
Thanks for your time!
(We have also put together a video on which Ms. Jenai Engelhard, a team member of AboveStress, gives a quick video intro about the app: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6KgfUH7FSI)
Log in or sign up for Devpost to join the conversation.