Completed NPST Project entitled "Novel Pervasive Computing Approach to Counter and Manage Obesity in KSA ", March 2012 -March 2014
Obesity is a major health concern for the people in Saudi Arabia. It can lead to serious health problems including increased risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and insulin resistance in addition to psychosocial problems, functional limitations, and disabilities that adversely affect the social and physical abilities of the obese person in daily affairs. In this research, our long term goal is to augment current obesity treatment methods and empower therapists and patients with a novel computing system for continuous treatment and long-term management of obesity, especially in children and youths. We aim to develop fundamental technologies and systems to achieve this goal using pervasive computing, ambient sensors, and mobile gaming. Our system would provide stakeholders with improved tools and techniques to prevent or treat obesity by enabling continuous and accurate measurements of a patient's energy balance and health indicators, and by facilitating both the required treatment and the measurement of progress for both the therapist and the patient. At the same time, the system will use pervasive games to encourage and support the integration of a healthy lifestyle for the youth. The game difficulty is specifically adapted to each child according to their fitness level and will be increased as the patient makes progress. Finally, due to the group nature of the game, it will further boost socialization and increase the patient’s self confidence, an especially important problem in obese children.