Mather Lifeways Presents: The Promise of Personal Fitness Trackers to Promote Workforce Wellness

Personal fitness trackers offer individuals an easy way to track wellness related behaviors and receive personalized feedback on these behaviors, and research has shown that individuals who are tracking their health are likely to change their approach to maintaining their health. A wellness-focused workforce promises a number of advantages, from lower health care costs to decreased absenteeism to greater worker productivity. In light of the potential of personal fitness trackers to encourage healthy behaviors, and the benefits of a wellness-focused workplace, Mather LifeWays Institute on Aging is excited about exploring the possibilities for using personal fitness trackers to encourage employee wellness. This talk discusses both the benefits of personal trackers and the potential ways that workplaces can encourage their use.

This event will be live streamed to the public. Click on the “register for tickets” link below to register and watch the free live stream.

This talk will be led by Roscoe Nicholson III. Nicholson joined Mather LifeWays Institute on Aging in September 2013. He was previously with the University of Chicago’s Department of Comparative Human Development, where he is a PhD candidate. His graduate training in that interdisciplinary program has spanned psychology, sociology, anthropology, and neuroscience. Roscoe’s research background includes survey design, qualitative and quantitative research, and neuroscience. His research interests include cognition, motivation, emotion, the application of neuroscience research outside the laboratory, and physicians’ perspectives on the the intersection of culture and bioscience.

Since coming to Mather Lifeways, which was named Illinois’s Healthiest Midsize Employer for 2013, Roscoe has been conducting research on teaching about lifestyle factors that influence brain fitness and is now launching a research program on encouraging healthy physical activity behaviors in the workplace environment. He also disseminates academic research related to aging and wellness through Mather LifeWays Institute on Aging’s Aging in Action and Investigage newsletters and webpages.