Study shows PAI Health app keeps employees active and engaged during COVID-19, reducing average Fitness Age by 5 years over 16 weeks

Participants with higher risk experienced the greatest health improvements including the least fit and older population segments


VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 11, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PAI Health today announced the results of a global corporate study that spanned 5 regions, included 491 participants and ran the course of the initial peak COVID-19 pandemic from March to June 2020. PAI Health partnered with Gen Re, a global reinsurer, inviting their employees to join a 16-week study where participants used the PAI Health app with wearable devices. Quantitative and qualitative analysis was conducted to assess many factors, including PAI’s efficacy at motivating people to become more active or stay active and for whom PAI works best. The full white paper can be accessed on the PAI Health website.

The study found:

  • The overall cardiorespiratory fitness levels of participants improved, with the average Fitness Age decreasing by 5 years.

    • Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is a leading indicator of health and longevity, commonly measured as VO2 max and recommended as a clinical vital sign by the American Heart Association. PAI Health’s algorithm converts VO2 max to Fitness Age, which helps people understand how fit they are compared to their actual age.
  • PAI is particularly effective in motivating the least active/fit population, as they saw increases in their average PAI Score by 41%, with 91.5% improving their Fitness Age (cardiorespiratory fitness).

    • PAI helped this cohort increase and maintain physical activity habits, suggesting PAI can help motivate the hardest-to-reach groups.
  • PAI was also particularly effective for older participants, with the 50+ years group having the highest PAI Scores and greatest improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness.

These findings suggest that PAI can support healthy behaviour change and mortality risk reduction for cohorts that are at the highest risk of CVD mortality, including the least fit and older populations. The PAI Score has been associated with significant mortality risk reduction for healthy individuals as well as those with chronic health conditions, such as hypertension, obesity, and type 2 diabetes. Published studies show that on average, people who maintain a PAI Score of 100 or more can experience a 25% decrease in CVD mortality risk, and even greater risk reduction amongst cohorts with chronic conditions.

“The results of this study are very exciting as it further validates PAI’s value in helping to solve one of the world’s most pressing problems, which is inactive lifestyles,” says Sally Powell, General Manager, PAI Health. “CVD is the number one cause of death worldwide, and COVID-19 has brought new challenges for the health and wellness industry. We are confident that our solution can drive meaningful health outcomes by giving people a tool that provides personalized guidance and motivation to stay active by doing any type of activity, anywhere.”

PAI Health’s proprietary metric PAI (Personal Activity Intelligence) provides actionable insight on how much activity is needed for each individual to improve or maintain good CRF and maximize their heart health protection. PAI Health leverages its expertise in biometric sensing and algorithm development to offer science-backed data insights for the health and wellness industry, including insurers, healthcare providers, wellness programs and wearable technology companies. The company’s suite of tools includes a mobile app, an administrative reporting dashboard, and an application programming interface (API) for easy integration into third party apps.

The PAI algorithms were derived from one of the world’s most extensive health studies involving 45,000 people over 25 years, with further validation across broader populations of over 730,000 people, with over a million person-years of data.

Media Contacts

PAI Health Contact:
Tricia Burton
Email: pr@paihealth.com

About PAI Health
PAI Health allows organizations to assess, monitor and guide their people to better health, providing individuals with motivational guidance on personalized recommended physical activity levels. Our mission is to optimize anyone's path to better health by making the science-backed Personal Activity Intelligence (PAI) metric a global health standard through partnerships with insurers, employee wellness programs, technology platforms, health care providers and other industry partners. PAI Health is a wholly owned independent subsidiary of Zepp Health. For more information, visit www.paihealth.com.

About Zepp Health Corporation (NYSE: ZEPP)
Zepp Health changed its name from Huami Corp. (HMI) on February 25, 2021 to emphasize its health focus with a name that more easily crosses languages and cultures globally. The company’s mission continues to be connecting health with technology. Since its inception in 2013, Zepp Health has developed a platform of proprietary technology including AI chips, biometric sensors, and data algorithms, which drive a broadening line of smart health devices for consumers, data analytics services for population health, and industrial medical technology for diagnostics and care delivery. Zepp Health is one of the largest global developers of smart wearable health and consumer fitness devices, shipping 41 million units in 2019. Zepp Health Corp. is based in Hefei, China, with U.S. operations, Zepp Health USA, based in Cupertino, Calif.

About Gen Re
Gen Re, a Berkshire Hathaway Company, is one of the leading life/health and property/casualty reinsurers in the world. They work closely with clients to understand their strategic and operational goals, offering a wide range of products, tools and resources that aim to promote their clients’ ongoing growth and success. For more information, visit www.genre.com.