EP1075318A1

EP1075318A1 - Device for treating adiposity with an exercise machine attached to a computer

Info

Publication number: EP1075318A1
Application number: EP99929038A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Wolfgang Siegfried
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1998-04-29
Filing date: 1999-04-28
Publication date: 2001-02-14
Also published as: DE19819257C2; WO1999055431A1; DE19819257A1; WO1999055431A8

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for treating adiposity which comprises a body exercise device and a PC. An ergometer for determining the amount of work performed with the body exercise device, a scale, and a device for measuring the pulse rate are connected to said PC. Signals for determining the amount of work are transmitted from the ergometer to the PC. The exercise data is stored by the PC and can be compared during the entire exercise time period.

Description

DEVICE FOR ADIPOSITAS TREATMENT WITH A COMPUTER CONNECTED BODY LUBRICATION DEVICE

Obesity or obesity is an increasing problem of the western industrial nations with more than 20% of those affected in the population of the USA and Germany and thus represents the most important and most common preliminary stage of the most expensive diseases of civilization. The consequential costs of obesity in Germany are currently at 43 billion DM estimated annually. Obesity is mainly caused by wrong eating habits, such as excessive junk food consumption, e.g. in the form of snacks or soft drinks, as well as a lack of exercise in adolescents caused by steadily increasing TV consumption and computer games. Furthermore, a substantial percentage of the population (approx. 40-60%) has a genetically fixed tendency to obesity, which until now can only be combated through controlled energy intake and increased energy consumption through physical activity.

Particularly high health follow-up costs are to be feared among obese adolescents, since approx. 80% of them remain adipose as adults and have to reckon with partially invalidating secondary illnesses or at least a severe reduction in their life expectancy even earlier. On the other hand, there is still the possibility for adolescents to change their lifestyle and to find joy in physical activity again with their peers, instead of accepting an increasingly passive lifestyle in the vicious circle of obesity.

From DE 196 03 237 AI a training device is known which has a body robbery device, for example a home bike, an ergometer for determining the work done with the body robbery device and, for example, on the legs or in the saddle of the home bike has load cells, the values of which are a computer be fed to determine the current body weight of the exerciser. The training data of the ergometer are also fed to the training computer on the bicycle handlebar.

The object of the invention is to increase the success of the obesity treatment and at the same time to improve the quality of life and the athletic resilience of those affected.

This is achieved according to the invention with the device specified in claim 1. Advantageous refinements of the device according to the invention are specified in the subclaims.

The device according to the invention has a body rubbing device, an ergometer for determining the work done with the body rubbing device, an electronic balance and a separate, commercially available PC, the ergometer and the balance being connected to the computer e.g. are connected via serial or parallel or IR interfaces or a game port. Furthermore, a program installed on the computer can be provided on CD-ROM, which has the properties of a computer game and a Tamagochi. The display of current performance and pulse rate as well as the training and weight balance can be done numerically and graphically on a screen and can also be printed out. The ergometer can be any device for recording a job, in particular a bicycle ergometer or an actimeter (step counter).

Depending on the data displayed over the training period with the PC, the therapeutic measures for successful obesity treatment are taken. The therapeutic measures relate in particular to the selection and composition of the food supply and the physical movement of the patient with the exercise device. The nutritional behavior (energy giebilanz) is recorded with the scales of the device according to the invention, the physical movement with the ergometer, pedometer or other training equipment.

The display can be designed in such a way that it makes it easier for the patient to act clearly. The display can provide a negative feedback through images, text and / or acoustically if the specified therapeutic measures are not followed, i.e. if the patient has consumed too much food or has used the exercise device too little.

If the therapeutic recommendations are followed, a positive feedback is given in the form of commendation, leisure tips or a special nutritional recommendation or reward.

It makes sense to offer obesity therapy where it is usually created or favored by today's adolescents, namely in front of the screen in the form of a device-linked therapy program that responds as individually as possible to the special conditions and tendencies of the obese. The obese can do the recommended exercises without any spectators under the control and confirmation of the program and test the recommendations for changing their lifestyle.

The interaction between man and computer should consciously take on Tamagochi-like features, in that praise and criticism, as well as explanations of typical problems of overweight people, create a kind of familiarity between computer and user, which in turn can now be used therapeutically. However, poor cooperation - similar to the Tamagochi - also causes the computer to switch off if the recommendations are frequently ignored and to stop working. can be played (or he only communicates "taciturn or insulted" with the user).

Ideally, this will make a significant contribution to compliance in the training program and the daily exercise units will be gladly incorporated into the normal daily routine, since you don't want to do without the ever surprising dialogues (possibly updated via the Internet) with the system and are happy about positive feedback . Smaller weekly weight loss is rewarded as long as there is a clear trend. This has been proven to lead to long-term success rather than short, quick weight loss (yo-yo effect).

The meaningful combination of the performance and pulse data from the ergometer as well as the current body weight (electronic scales) in an interface, which allows the obesity therapy device to be connected to the computer (gameport) instead of a joystick, is an important inhibitory threshold-lowering property of the invention, to pick up the obesity patient from a passive occupation where he is currently sitting (in front of the computer game) without having to do much technical work. The relative health risk is also recalculated for each new body weight compared to previous data and is therefore manageable.

As a training device of the device according to the invention, a bicycle ergometer with an eddy current brake is normally used, the braking effect of which can be changed under computer control, but also reports power and cadence back to the system. The exerciser's pulse rate can be measured using electrodes in the handles. Alternatively, a rowing machine or a treadmill ergometer with computer-controlled eddy current brake or a pedometer that is carried all day and also when jogging can be used. With other exercise devices, the pulse rate can also be transmitted wirelessly to the computer through a chest belt with appropriate electrodes. By measuring the pulse, the power pulse is calculated as a measure of the state of training, as is the case with existing training devices, stored in the computer and shown graphically over time, taking into account the current performance.

An electronic scale is connected to the computer via the same (serial) connection. The computer program is designed so that it carries out a plausibility check during the weighing process, i.e. For example, an atypical course of the weight increase during weighing is recorded and is therefore difficult to outsmart if the screen prompts you to enter the scales and descend and the cradle signal curve is known from previous measurements (signal analysis as with speech recognition).

The device according to the invention preferably has a bioimpedance measuring device which can be connected to the PC of the balance. The bioimpedance measuring device can be connected to the patient with foot electrodes, which can be attached to the balance, or with skin adhesive electrodes. One electrode can be attached to the foot and the other to the opposite arm of the patient. The ratio of fat mass, lean mass and water content, i.e. the respective composition of the body, is calculated with the bioimpedance measuring device. A decrease in the fat mass under constant lean mass and total body cell mass indicates a reasonable training of the patient with the exercise device.

The work performed with the exercise device is recorded by the computer for calculating the energy consumed and can be converted into a corresponding decrease in body weight, or correspondingly during the training of the energy given off as an increasing slice of bread or a growing piece of cake. Here, the energy content of various foods is "directly experienced" for the obese for the first time.

At the beginning of the program, the patient's personal data, such as date of birth or age, gender, height, weight, illnesses, hobbies, eating habits, favorite sport and other movement, television and computer habits, are entered into the computer. Thus the individual obesity behavior profile (especially energy intake and consumption) is recognized. Accordingly, the program will behave differently in the patient's success and failure (non-compliance).

The BMI (body mass index) is calculated on the PC on the basis of the weight measured with the scales and the specified size of the patient Patient (unit: kg / m ² ) results. A BMI of 19 to 25 is considered normal, while a BMI indicates over 30 obesity and over 35 severe obesity. The normal BMI is age-dependent.

The degree of obesity can also be displayed using normal value tables. The program also provides information and behavioral tips for the most common complications of obesity, not without recommending a doctor's visit at the required point.

In addition, the computer can calculate the risk for various individual obesity complications (such as heart attack, apoplexy, high blood pressure, sleep apnea syndrome, tumor diseases and diabetes mellitus) be performed. According to statistical data, there is a direct connection between this risk and the extent of obesity, e.g. the BMI.

Based on the patient's personal data entered into the computer, the computer can, for example, also warn of a cardiac risk from the start of the obesity treatment and, based on the performance data, also prompt a later visit to the doctor. With the display of the device according to the invention, certain therapy or behavioral measures are displayed which are to be carried out or avoided. For example, there are overweight people who do a lot of sport but consume too many calories every day. In such a case, the therapeutic measures that are displayed with the device according to the invention are less in high energy consumption due to the use of the exercise device, but rather, for example, more in the advice on nutritional behavior.

As mentioned, the behavioral measures for successful obesity treatment can be indicated positively or negatively with the device according to the invention. For example, comparable to a computer game during the daily stress test and work out with the exercise device, a virtual landscape can be imported through which you ride a bicycle. There are also training competitors here who are known by name and who also have an obesity problem, but deal with it differently. For example, you can see or call up what the competitors did and ate on that day compared to their own daily routine and put it into positive and negative terms. This will be done by programming typical, positive and negative patient histories from the daily experience of a doctor who is intensely concerned with obesity patients.

In the computer therapy program, a cookbook with daily nutritional recommendations with daily calories as well as cooking instructions and color images will be available. In addition, advice can be obtained from specialist consultants regarding nutrition and training via a possibly available Internet access, or experiences can be exchanged with other patients in order to possibly even achieve group effects.

Claims

claims

1. Device for obesity treatment with a physical exercise device and a PC, to which an ergometer for determining the work done with the physical exercise device, a scale and a pulse rate measuring device are connected, signals to the PC being transmitted from the ergometer to determine performance, whereby the training data can be saved from the PC and compared over the entire training period.

2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the body mass index is determined with the PC and can be stored.

3. Device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a bioimpedance measuring device is connected to the PC, with which the body composition of the patient is determined, which can be stored by the PC.

4. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the PC has Internet access to achieve group effects.