Zamzee® Partners with Safe Routes to School™ Initiative in West Coast Communities
Redwood City, CA (PRWEB) November 13, 2013 -- Redwood City-based Zamzee® today announced the launch of programs in partnership with Safe Routes to School™ (SRTS) initiatives in California and Nevada that will use Zamzee’s research-proven activity tracker and motivational website to measure, motivate and manage physical activity. The federally-funded SRTS program aims to encourage kids to walk and bicycle to school; the collaboration with Zamzee intends to reinforce physical activity and positive behavior-change through game-based technology.
Zamzee distributed activity meters to nearly 300 children across school districts in the counties of San Mateo, California and Clark County, Nevada. Using analytics from the Zamzee for Groups™ Dashboard, Safe Routes to School program administrators can see how many minutes a day users spent engaged in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. Administrators are able to segment data for the entire program, each school or by individual user.
“Integrating a tool that motivates kids to be more active and gives us insight into their level of physical activity is precisely what we need to improve the outcome of the Safe Routes initiative,” said Daina Lujan, San Mateo County Safe Routes to School Coordinator. “In order to measure the frequency with which children are walking or biking to school we’ll look to the data provided by the Zamzee for Groups dashboard rather than relying solely on self-reported data. We’ll look to these reports to guide the program towards the future.”
“The heart of Zamzee’s social mission is to create a fun experience for kids that ultimately leads them to live more physically active and healthier lives,” said Lance Henderson, CEO of Zamzee. “We’re pleased to align our efforts with partners like Safe Routes to School to further foster positive behavior change with programs that improve the health, well-being and safety of kids.”
In addition to the Safe Routes partnership, Zamzee and the Zamzee for Groups dashboard is currently being used in hospitals, doctors offices and clinical programs to motivate and increase physical activity and improve health. The digital health tool was researched in a six-month, randomized, controlled trial sponsored by HopeLab and funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Results showed that kids using Zamzee were 59% more active than a control group. Students participating in the Safe Routes to School pilot program will receive Zamzee free of charge. Meters retail for $29.95 and are available to the general public at http://www.zamzee.com
About Zamzee
Zamzee is a social enterprise on a mission to make it easier for tweens and families to be more physically active. The Zamzee meter and motivational website is the result of several years of research and design based on feedback from kids and families. The Zamzee meter is sold for $29.95; access to the Zamzee website is free of charge. Zamzee was established in 2010 by HopeLab, a nonprofit research organization that uses the power and appeal of technology to improve the health of kids. Initial research and development of Zamzee was conducted by HopeLab, with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. For more information, please visit http://www.zamzee.com.
About The National Center for Safe Routes to School
Established in May 2006, the National Center for Safe Routes to School assists states and communities in enabling and encouraging children to safely walk and bicycle to school. The National Center serves as the clearinghouse for the federal Safe Routes to School program. The organization also provides technical support and resources and coordinates online registration efforts and provides technical support and resources for U.S. Walk to School Day and facilitates worldwide promotion and participation. For more information, visit http://www.saferoutesinfo.com.
Robin Raskob, Zamzee, http://www.zamzee.com, +1 650-569-5982, [email protected]
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