Thousands of sailors get access to trendy weight-loss app in new deal

As of Feb. 1, the Navy is offering the commercial version of Noom free for a year to these sailors in what the service calls its Fitness Enhancement Program. The Navy’s contract with Noom, which is considered a one-year pilot program, is worth $466,560, paid for by excess funds released by Congress last fiscal year for quality of service initiatives.

…

To register and receive the services, which include a personalized diet plan, weekly challenges, a virtual coaching team through the app, an AI-based food tracker that can calculate calories based on a photo of a meal, and even a 360-degree body scan completed with the user’s phone camera, sailors just need to send their first and last names and government ID number to a Noom-hosted registration link.

…

Noom, she added, met a “strenuous list of capability requirements” that included psychologically based behavior change components, effectiveness shown through peer review, scalability and user data privacy.

…

Fair, the Noom executive, said the app and associated programming work because they target unhealthy brain pathways and seek to rewire them, rather than just focusing on promoting healthy actions.

“We start with the mind, and we use cognitive behavioral therapy and other evidence-based protocols to really uncover the root cause of the behavior, and that ultimately creates ‘aha’ moments for the sailors that reshape their habits for good,” he said.

Related:

World Economic Forum profile for Saeju Jeong:

Co-Founder and Executive Chairman, Noom

…

In July 2023, Jeong took on the role of Executive Chairman, marking a significant transition in his leadership journey. In this role, he continues to shape Noom’s strategic direction, focusing on expanding its influence in global health initiatives. Jeong leads Noom’s engagements with the World Economic Forum and plays a critical role on the Steering Committee for the Forum’s Healthy Workforces initiative. His leadership is further recognized through his selection as a member of the prestigious 2024 Henry Crown Fellowship class at The Aspen Institute, reflecting his ongoing commitment to impactful leadership.

Aspen Institute:

The group is funded by foundations such as the Carnegie Corporation, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, the Gates Foundation, the Lumina Foundation and the Ford Foundation.