Contact: Maggie Diebolt
843.792.5021
Aug. 7, 2007
MUSCís cell-U-lite program aims to tip scales via text messaging
CHARLESTON -‚ Critics of modern communication devices have likened them to little devils encouraging people to move less in a country facing an obesity epidemic. The Weight Management Center at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) has developed cell-U-lite, a new digital service on the side of the weight loss angels. A unique text-messaging service, cell-U-lite? provides participants with a simple weight loss tip every day, delivered conveniently to their cell phone or other messaging device.
cell-U-lite messages are developed by the staff of the MUSC Weight Management Center, and are designed to provide information, encouragement and reminders. Topics include nutrition, exercise, health, and behavioral and motivational techniques and the objective is to make weight management as much a part of participantsí lives as their cell phones, Blackberries and Treos.
Patrick M. OíNeil, PhD, MUSC Weight Management Center director, said that text messaging is a particularly appropriate tool for 21st century weight control. "Successful weight management requires a change in lifestyle, starting with your current lifestyle, and few things are as much a part of todayís lifestyle as cell phones and other messaging devices. Weíre trying to add to the better part of that equation by using these devices as weight-control messengers embedded in our subscribersí busy lives. Although not everyone sends text messages, the ability to receive them is increasingly common. That little gadget in your purse or on your belt can now be your weight loss buddy."
Getting a weight management tip wherever someone happens to be also carries the potential advantage of timeliness. OíNeil experienced this when he was trying the beta version of the program. "I got on the elevator to go to my fourth-floor office on one of my lazier days. Just as the doors were closing, my daily tip came in: ëJust say no to the elevator. By taking the stairs, youíll burn extra calories.í Talk about your ëDíOH!í moment."
Subscriptions to cell-U-lite are free, although subscribersí mobile phone service providers may charge a fee for receiving text messages, depending on their specific service plans. (For questions about these charges, individuals should contact their cellular service provider.)
Since 1974, the Weight Management Center has been MUSC's resource to help patients lose weight and maintain weight loss. The WMC is part of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences.
About MUSC
Founded in 1824 in Charleston, The Medical University of South Carolina is the oldest medical school in the South. Today, MUSC continues the tradition of excellence in education, research, and patient care. MUSC educates and trains more than 3,000 students and residents, and has nearly 10,000 employees, including 1,300 faculty members. As the largest non-federal employer in Charleston, the university and its affiliates have collective annual budgets in excess of $1.3 billion. MUSC operates a 600-bed medical center, which includes a nationally recognized Children's Hospital and a leading Institute of Psychiatry. For more information on academic information or clinical services, visit www.musc.edu or www.muschealth.com.
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