Surgeon General Announces Healthy App Challenge

U. S. Surgeon General Regina Benjamin, M.D., MBA, announced a new app contest to promote her latest “healthy lifestyles” challenge to the American people.

The Surgeon General’s Healthy App Challenge will highlight the ability of new technologies to provide health information tailored to the needs of the user, and empower the general public to regularly engage in, and enjoy, health-promoting behaviors. Winners of the app challenge will be chosen in the following categories: fitness/physical activity; nutrition/healthy eating; and integrative health.

The Surgeon General supports using new technologies to bring healthy lifestyle messages to the American people. She has been involved in the following Consumer e-health initiatives led by the HHS Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology:

• E-health records for patients and clinicians;
• Family health portrait;
• SmokefreeTXT – free mobile phone-based cessation service for teen smokers; and
• Text4Baby breastfeeding messages.