Can Healthy Aging Differ by State? UAB Kilo Grupe Says Yes!

World Health Organization data shows that people are living much longer than they used. And, with an aging population comes health concerns associated with aging. UAB Kilo Grupe, a world leader in digital health innovation, has explored these trends and come up with technology-based ways to track and maintain health as we age.

Healthy aging is defined as maintaining health and living as independently as possible as you reach your older years. Research from The Milbank Quarterly into successful aging per US state shows us that healthy aging differs by location due to differences in engagement with aging adults, social care, and environmental factors.

As such, a more individualized approach to age concerns, health conditions caused by age, and well-being, in general, is the best approach to tackling aging across the nation–at least, that’s what Kilo Grupe is saying.

Individualized Care

Kilo Grupe has worked for nearly a decade to become a leader in the digital health space, and its portfolio of digital health apps covers diseases more common in aging, like type 2 diabetes and heart health. Both these apps, namely Klinio and Cardi.Health, create customized plans for each and every user, catering their diet, exercises, and trend analysis to what is needed by the individual.

In research looking at coronary health in adults over the age of 45 across the US, Midwestern and Southern states appeared to show a greater inclination toward heart problems in later life. This data suggests that healthy aging is more likely to be hindered in these regions by chronic heart conditions. In these states, aging adults could benefit from the individualized care found on the Cardi.Health app to improve their heart health and take preventative measures.

The picture is a little different when looking at the incidence of diabetes across the nation, with the states with the highest incidence of age-standardized diabetes all being in the South and those with the lowest incidences being in the Midwest and Western regions of the US. For those in the South, an individualized approach, like that taken on the Klinio app, could support healthy aging when it is affected by the onset of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes.

Access to Healthcare

When looking at healthy aging, it is impossible to ignore the effect that access to healthcare has on it. Access to healthcare has long been a problem for many Americans, particularly for those on lower incomes and in rural areas. So, being able to track your health through a digital app could offer a way to prevent and manage chronic conditions without needing access.

While digital health apps cannot replace professional health care in any way, the apps designed by UAB Kilo Grupe are meant to be used to prevent the onset of illness by promoting healthier lifestyles from the get-go.

In this way, in states where healthy aging is inhibited by a lack of access to proper healthcare, individuals may find the support and advice they need in Kilo Grupe’s portfolio. Where lack of exercise or higher body mass index contributes to poorer health in later years, apps like DoFasting and Joggo could offer an easy, less expensive, and more accessible way to lose weight, get more exercise and maintain health for longer.

Final Thoughts

Healthy aging is, unfortunately, not a given for many in the US, and state-by-state data shows us that conditions caused by aging, access to healthcare, and other environmental and social concerns change the way people age across the country. UAB Kilo Grupe is using individualized, preventative care to try and even that playing field.