Wolverhampton to pilot new health incentive app

A new app will be piloted in Wolverhampton which will offer incentives, such as vouchers for shops, theme park passes, and cinema tickets for people who eat healthy and exercise more.

HeadUp Systems is leading the app pilot, with participants given wrist-worn devices and access to an app which will generate personalised health recommendations, such as increasing their step count or eating more fruit and vegetables. Users will collect points for healthy behaviours which they will be able to cash in for rewards which could include discounts for cinema or theme park tickets, and clothes or food vouchers.

As part of the government’s healthy weight strategy, the new scheme will be part of the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities’ drive to use digital technology to improve physical health and prevent health conditions before they develop.

Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid said: “This pilot is an exciting opportunity to see how we can empower people to make healthy changes to their lifestyle and I would encourage all adults in Wolverhampton to come forward and register their interest.

“Taking part will help us better understand how rewards can help motivate people to make small adjustments to their daily lives that will have a lasting positive impact on their health. I want to make it easier for people to make healthy choices and the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities is driving forward our levelling up agenda for health across the country.”

The City of Wolverhampton Council expressed an interest in hosting the pilot scheme to support its ongoing work and significant investment in encouraging its residents to live more healthy lives.

Ian Brookfield, the leader of the City of Wolverhampton Council, said: “We are working hard to improve the overall health of everyone in Wolverhampton by providing innovative solutions which can help our residents get more active. We are already making significant progress in tackling physical inactivity, improving infrastructure and making environmental changes to enable people to be more active, and we are delighted to be working with the Department for Health and Social Care and HeadUp on this important pilot programme to see whether offering incentives can help people make positive changes to improve their health and well-being.”