Published Research and Clinical Outcomes

Peer-reviewed research shows that our members at risk of multiple chronic conditions — like diabetes, obesity, hypertension, and more — transform their physical and mental health. Read on to see the latest evidence behind our programs.

Diabetes

1.7

HbA1C

average reduction
see paper summary
Diabetes with Depression

1.9x

greater A1c reduction when PHQ-8 improved
see paper summary
Anxiety

61%

GAD-7 reduction score
see paper summary
Weight Loss

7%

weight loss in 1 year
see paper summary
Depression

54%

PHQ-8 reduction score
see paper summary
Stress

33%

PSS-10 reduction score
see paper summary

Peer-reviewed studies

Vida’s programs are clinically supported and evidence-based. See physical and mental health outcomes published in multiple peer-reviewed journals below.

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Physical Health PH

published 6-20-23
The Relationship between Improvements in Glycemic Control following a Digital Health Intervention and the Food Environment in a Medicare Advantage Population

A retrospective study examined the relationship between improvements in glycemic control as a result of a digital health intervention and the food environment in a sample of 646 Medicare Advantage members at risk for diabetes-related complications.  Irrespective of limited food access, the Vida Health program demonstrated significant improvements in glycemic control within 1 year in a high-risk Medicare Advantage population.

▼ 1.2 point average A1C reduction at 1 year for those with low income and in low food access areas (for those with baseline HbA1c of ≥ 8)

Caitlyn Edwards, Louise Voelker, Gretchen Zimmermann, Kelly Rawlings, Aarathi Venkatesan; 31-LB: The Relationship between Improvements in Glycemic Control following a Digital Health Intervention and the Food Environment in a Medicare Advantage Population. Diabetes 20 June 2023; 72 (Supplement_1): 31–LB.

Physical Health PH

published 1-27-23
Improvements in Glycemic Control and Depressive Symptoms among adults with Type 2 Diabetes: A Retrospective Study

A retrospective study drew from a sample size of 1128 participants who participated in the Vida Health Diabetes Management Program. Participants provided baseline as well as follow-up A1C values and self-reported PHQ-8 and GAD-7 scores. They achieved the following outcomes:

Physical health outcomes:

  • 1.94 point A1C reduction at 6 months (for those with baseline HbA1c of ≥ 9)
    • ▼ 1.98 point A1C sustained reduction at 1 year (for those with baseline HbA1c of ≥ 9)
  • 1.3 point A1C reduction at 6 months (for those with baseline HbA1c of ≥ 8)
    • ▼ 1.4 point A1C sustained reduction at 1 year (for those with baseline HbA1c of ≥ 8)

Mental health outcomes:

  • 61% of participants, experienced a downward shift in depression acuity
  • 55% of participants, experienced a downward shift in anxiety acuity

Members who had a reduction in depressive symptoms achieved A1C reductions 1.9x greater than those who did not.

Venkatesan A., Zimmermann G., Rawlings K., Ryan C., Voelker L., Edwards C. (2023). Improvements in Glycemic Control and Depressive Symptoms Among Adults With Type 2 Diabetes: Retrospective Study. JMIR Form Res 2023;7:e41880

Physical Health PH

published 12-7-22
Changes in Glycemic Control Following Use of a Spanish-Language, Culturally Adapted Diabetes Program: Retrospective Study

Professional Spanish translators, linguists, and providers localized the entirety of the Vida Health Diabetes Management Program into a culturally relevant Spanish-language version. Over 180 Spanish-speaking adults participated in the adapted program. In four months, they achieved the following average outcomes:

  • 1.2 pt A1C reduction
  • 1.6 pt A1C reduction among participants with high program engagement

Edwards C., Orellana E., Rawlings K., Rodriguez-Pla M., Venkatesan A. (2022) Changes in Glycemic Control Following Use of a Spanish-Language, Culturally Adapted Diabetes Program: Retrospective Study. JMIR Form Res 2022;6(12):e40278

Physical Health PH

published 6-1-22
Improvements in Glycemic Control following Use of an Established mHealth Program among Individuals with Diabetes

A retrospective study drew from a sample of 1023 participants with type 2 diabetes, and assessed the effectiveness of the app-based Vida Health Diabetes Management program, which utilized one-to-one remote sessions with Registered Dietitians and Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialists and structured lessons and tools. Participants achieved clinically meaningful improvements in glycemic control:

  • 1.37 point A1C reduction at 1 year (for those with baseline HbA1c of ≥ 8)
  • 1.94 point A1C reduction at 1 year (for those with baseline HbA1c of ≥ 9)

Gretchen Zimmermann, Aarathi Venkatesan, Kelly Rawlings, Richard S. Frank, Caitlyn Edwards; 31-LB: Improvements in Glycemic Control following Use of an Established mHealth Program among Individuals with Diabetes. Diabetes 1 June 2022; 71 (Supplement_1): 31–LB.

Mental Health MH

published 5-7-22
Virtual CBT-based program improves both depression and weight loss outcomes in a polychronic population

Participants from a polychronic population (living with either type 2 diabetes, CVD, or obesity) joined a 12-week therapist-supported, app-based cognitive behavioral therapy program. They achieved the following average outcomes:

Mental health outcomes in 12 weeks:

  • 74.5% of participants experienced a clinically significant reduction in depressive symptom severity
  • 57.7% of participants experienced a clinically significant improvement in anxiety scores

Physical health outcomes in 9 months:

  • 3x greater average percentage weight loss (4.5% with CBT-based program versus 1.5% without CBT-based program)
  • Greater engagement was associated with improvement in depressive symptoms.

Venkatesan, A.,Forster, B., Rao, P., Miller, M., Scahill, M. (2022). Improvements in Depression Outcomes Following a Digital Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Intervention in a Polychronic Population: Retrospective Study. JMIR Form Res, 6(7), e38005.

Mental Health MH

published 5-25-21
Mindfulness-based stress reduction program for subclinical mental health issues reduces stress in 3 months, with greater sustained results at month 6

Participants with moderate to high stress levels enrolled in a 10-week Vida Health mindfulness-based stress reduction program.

  • 83% of participants experienced a reduction in perceived stress levels as measured by PSS-10 scores
  • 15% (3.17 points) by 1.5 months
  • 33% (6.77 points) by 6 months

Venkatesan A., Krymis H., Scharff J., Waber A. (2021). Changes in Perceived Stress following a 10-week Digital Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction Program: A Retrospective Study. JMIR Formative Research.
16/10/2020:25078

 

Physical Health PH

published 2-6-21
Vida Health’s virtual diabetes program significantly reduces HbA1c levels by more than most diabetes medications

We are excited to announce that the latest study of our virtual diabetes program has shown improvements in members’ blood glucose management. In 4 months, participants across the risk spectrum significantly lowered their HbA1c levels:

  • 1.0-point (for those with baseline HbA1c of ≥7)
  • 1.7-points (for those with baseline HbA1c of ≥ 8)

Zimmermann G., Venkatesan A., Rawlings K., Scahill M. (2021). Improved Glycemic Control With a Digital Health Intervention in Adults With Type 2 Diabetes: Retrospective Study. JMIR Diabetes. 18/02/2021:28033

 

 

Physical Health PH

published 10-23-20
Improved weight loss, nutrition, activity levels, and energy for breast cancer survivors

Women with curative-intent breast cancer received a survivorship care plan and enrolled in a 6-month program with Vida’s live coaching app. A control group received the same information but, instead of access to the app, were given a
self-guided toolkit. Of Vida users:

  • 61% lost weight, compared with 36% in the control group
  • 62% saw a reduction in fatigue symptoms
    (compared with 49% in the control group)
  • 81% were able to better adhere to a plant-based diet, compared to 51% in the control group
  • 18% saw an improvement in their levels of strenuous activity

Cairo J., Williams L., Bray L., Goetzke K., Perez A.C. (2020). Evaluation of a mobile health intervention to improve wellness outcomes for breast cancer survivors. J Patient Cent Res Rev, 7:313-22.

Mental Health MH

published 8-26-20
Virtual therapy program drives rapid mental health improvements sustained through 9 months

Participants in a 12-week therapist-supported, app-based cognitive behavioral therapy program achieved the following average outcomes:

  • Depression score reductions as measured by PHQ-8:
    43% in 6 months
    54% in 9 months
  • Anxiety score reductions as measured by GAD-7:
    51% in 6 months
    61% in 9 months
  • Greater engagement led to greater reduction in depression and anxiety scores.

Venkatesan, A., Rahimi, L., Kaur, M., & Mosunic, C. (2020). Digital Cognitive Behavior Therapy Intervention for Depression and Anxiety: Retrospective Study. JMIR Mental Health, 7(8), e21304.

 

Physical Health PH

published 4-30-20
Vida Health’s virtual weight management program achieved better outcomes compared to in-person interventions

Participants enrolled in a 6 month intensive weight management coaching program, followed by a maintenance phase with one-on-one health coaching sessions. At 12 months, the study showed a weight loss of:

  • 7.2% in overweight patients
  • 7.6% in obese patients
  • 10.4% in patients aged 60+

Vida’s virtual weight management program exceeds CDC benchmarks of 5% weight loss for in-person weight loss programs by 44% and 52% for overweight and obese patients, *respectively.

Silberman, J. M., Kaur, M., Sletteland, J., & Venkatesan, A. (2020). Outcomes in a digital weight management intervention with one-on-one health coaching. PL oS one, 15(4), e0232221

Physical Health PH

published 11-3-19
Outcomes in a digital weight management intervention with one-on-one health coaching

A 12-month digital weight management intervention was provided to overweight or obese adults recruited from a large technology company. One-on-one health coaching sessions were offered during a 24-week intensive phase as well as subsequent maintenance phase. Six hundred eighty-three participants reported 29,051 weights. At 12 months, mean percent changes in body weight were:

  • 7.2% for overweight groups
  • 7.6% for obese groups

Silberman, J., Kaur, M., Sletteland, J., & Venkatesan, A. (2019, November). Outcomes in a Digital Weight Management Intervention with One-On-One Health Coaching. Poster session presented at Obesity Week Annual Meeting, Las Vegas, NV

Physical Health PH

published 10-24-19
Evaluation of a Mobile Health Intervention to Improve Wellness Outcomes for Breast Cancer Survivors

2019 Abstract; Advanced Practitioner Society for Hematology and Oncology (APSHO) Annual Meeting

Vida presented findings from its study on wellness outcomes for breast cancer survivors at JADPRO Live, The Advanced Practitioner Society for Hematology and Oncology (APSHO) Annual Meeting in Seattle, WA. The poster presented and published in the conference records can be found here.

Cairo, J., Williams, L. Goetze, K. & Bray L. (2019, October). Evaluation of a Mobile Health Intervention to Improve Wellness Outcomes for Breast Cancer Survivors. Poster session presented at JADPRO Live, The Advanced Practitioner Society for Hematology and Oncology (APSHO) Annual Meeting, Seattle, WA.

Physical Health PH

published 5-2-18
Using Vida’s digital coaching program after cardiac rehabilitation can sustain gains in peak VO2 & physical activity

Participants underwent a 12-week digital coaching program following completion of cardiac rehabilitation. Normally, the benefits of cardiac rehabilitation are difficult to retain but Vida members showed superior long term outcomes:

  • Vida Members avoided a 39% decline in moderate-low levels of activity, and a 33% decline in moderate-high levels of activity
  • Vida members maintained 159 minutes of moderate-high levels of physical activity per week (the American Heart Association recommends 150 minutes per week)

Duscha, B. D., Piner, L. W., Patel, M. P., Craig, K. P., Brady, M., McGarrah III, R. W., & Kraus, W. E. (2018). Effects of a 12-week mHealth program on peak VO2 and physical activity patterns after completing cardiac rehabilitation: A randomized controlled trial. American Heart Journal , 199 , 105-114.

 

Physical Health PH

published 3-29-18
Vida’s cardiovascular program empowers patients to take control of their health

Patients who were hospitalized for an acute myocardial infarction participated in a month-long one-on-one coaching program to help with medication adherence and lifestyle modification. Members showed greater confidence and competence in their post-hospitalization care:

  • Patient engagement as measured by Patient Activation Measure (PAM-6) scores were significantly higher after Vida Coaching (mean improvement of 16.57 points)
  • Net promoter scores of 53 following the app experience

Mao, Alice Y., et al. (2016): “Feasibility of a Smartphone-Based Health Coaching Intervention for Patient Self-Management of Risk Prevention After Acute Myocardial Infarction.” Circulation 134.suppl_1 A18295-A18295

 

Ongoing research plans

At Vida Health, we’re continually working to improve our services and test our methods with rigorous clinical research. We take pride in creating clinically proven programs that improve the health of our members. We’re working with academic medical centers to further study the impact of our interventions.

As we expand our services, we are further analyzing our programs’ impact on diabetes, weight, hypertension, and mental health, as well as the compounding effect of treating mental and physical health together in one platform.

For our enterprise customers, we’re studying how we can further reduce costs of care while providing exceptional support for employees. Be sure to check this page regularly for our latest updates.