Tristin Brisbois
R&D Life Science Senior Director
Feature Publications:
Evaluating the Acceptability and Utility of a Personalized Wellness App (Aspire2B) Using AI-Enabled Digital Biomarkers: Engagement Enhancement Pilot Study
What is biological age? How does it differ from chronological age?
Chronological age is the number of years a person has been alive, while biological age refers to how a person’s body and mind are aging internally. Biological age takes a number of lifestyle factors into consideration, including diet, exercise, and quality of sleep. Biological age is an interesting concept as it is a way to talk about health without saying it, and most people want to know if their body and mind are older or younger than their chronological age.
What are the main takeaways from your research?
Our study focused on a personalized wellness app called Aspire2B, which uses AI-powered digital biomarkers and proven behavior change strategies to support healthier habits. We wanted to answer two main questions:
- Is “biological age” a motivating concept that can keep people engaged with a health app?
- Are users comfortable and accepting of an AI-powered face scan as a tool for health insights?
Here’s what we found after a 4-week trial with about 400 U.S. adults (ages 18-65):
- High Engagement: 86% of users completed the onboarding and face scan, and an impressive 44% stayed engaged with the app for all four weeks. For context, most health apps see only about 4% of users stick around after four weeks.
- Positive Perceptions: Users reported that they liked the app, trusted its information, and would be willing to use the face scan feature for other health benefits.
- Bottom Line: Both the biological age feature and the face scan technology resonated strongly with users, and helped keep them involved in their wellness journey longer than typical apps do.
What is the current state of the science on this topic?
Digital wellness tools are widely adopted, with over 300 million people using mobile health apps in 2023. That reach presents a big opportunity to improve public health, especially since many people struggle to maintain core habits like exercise, healthy eating, and good sleep. The challenge is that engagement drops off quickly for a lot of users, which limits impact. The science is clear, to truly drive behavior change, health apps need to keep people engaged over time. Proven tactics include personalization (customizing advice and feedback), timely and actionable feedback, and features that integrate into users’ daily routines.
Why are you interested in studying personalized nutrition?
Personalized experiences are everywhere, from Netflix and Spotify recommending shows and songs just for you to tailored ads you receive online. People increasingly expect the same approach when it comes to health, especially nutrition. In nutrition, people want to know: “Is this specific food or beverage right for me?” Since everyone’s body is different, a quick, easy, and personalized answer can help people make better choices. If people believe the answer is personalized for them, they are also more likely to follow the advice – and that is key.
What is something surprising or exciting you found in your research?
It wasn’t someone’s “biological age” that determined whether they stayed engaged, but rather their chronological age. Those whose biological age was higher did not get discouraged; in fact, many became even more engaged, especially among older users. Interestingly, older adults engaged more with the app compared to their younger counterparts, which we did not expect. This was unexpected, as older adults are often perceived to be less tech-savvy, but our app was easy enough for them to use, and they found it valuable.
Why is this exciting?
It shows that well-designed digital health tools can motivate a wide variety of people, including those who don’t always flock to tech - to take positive steps for their health.
Where would you like to see the research go next?
We’re already working to improve the app’s content and user experience, but we believe there’s even more we can do to boost engagement—like adding rewards or even more tailored recommendations. Our goal is to make it easier and more rewarding for people to build lasting, healthy habits, especially around nutrition. Changing behavior, particularly food intake behavior, is extremely challenging. We want to find effective ways to nudge people toward better choices and test what really works. At PepsiCo Life Sciences, our mission is to explore and develop science based solutions that help people make positive changes in their everyday lives, one sip and one bite at a time!