London, Oct 22 (PTI) The UK government on Friday announced plans for a new pilot scheme starting in January 2022 that will see people collect points and discounts for making healthy choices and being more active.

As part of the Department of Health and Social Care's (DHSC) anti-obesity strategy, the new health app will reward people for increasing their step count, eating more fruit and vegetables and decreasing portion sizes of food. Users will collect points for these healthy behaviours which will unlock rewards, which could include gym passes, clothes or food vouchers and discounts for shops, cinema or theme park tickets.

Also Read | Jupiter Hit by Another Space Rock in Rare Views Captured by Skywatchers in Japan.

“I want to ensure we're doing as much as we can to tackle health disparities across the country, and this new pilot will pave the way for developing innovative ways to improve the lives of individuals, and also help to reduce strain on the NHS,” said UK Health Secretary Sajid Javid.

“This pilot is an excellent opportunity to find how best to inspire people to make small changes to their daily lives that will have a lasting positive impact on their health,” he said.

Also Read | Russia Blast: 16 Killed in Elastik Gunpowder Factory Explosion in Ryazan Region.

A new Office of Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) is driving forward the plan as Headup Systems was awarded the contract for the scheme, backed by GBP 3 million in government funding. Evidence suggests that financial incentives can improve rates of physical activity and inspire healthier eating so HeadUp will work with a range of organisations to provide rewards such as vouchers, merchandise, discounts and gift cards, the DHSC said.

“The HeadUp app pilot will help us better understand how appropriate rewards can motivate people to make positive changes to their diet and physical activity, supporting them to lead healthier lives,” said Maggie Throup, UK Public Health Minister.

The government said the latest move is part of its commitment to helping people lead healthier, happier lives by making it easier for people to make healthy choices.

Internationally there are examples of innovative incentives programmes showing promising results, such as Singapore's National Steps Challenge, and the UK government said it will work closely with international partners to understand what makes these schemes successful to inform best practices in England.

“As an evidence-based, data science company focused on people's health around the world, we are immensely proud to be working with the government and key stakeholders, people in the community, and with the Behavioural Insights Team as our design and evaluation partner, to play a part in piloting an exciting new approach to the urgent and important challenge of helping people engage with their health and improve their health behaviours,” said David Parfitt, Strategy Director at HeadUp.

The app forms part of the Health Incentives Scheme announced earlier this year as part of a GBP 100 million package of government support to help those living with obesity to move closer towards a healthier weight and give them the tools they need to maintain this. Sir Keith Mills, who pioneered reward programmes through Airmiles and Nectar points, is advising the Scheme.

Mills said: “This scheme is a fantastic opportunity to explore how government, business and the third sector can work together to deliver a new and engaging way of supporting the public to make healthier choices.

“Through the pilot we will have exciting and innovative partners on board will help motivate people to want to earn incentives, but also should help them overcome barriers to making healthy decisions in future. I'm looking forward to see how this scheme develops.”

The UK government says the new app will place user privacy and security at its core and will ensure all personal information is safe and secure at all times. The new pilot will launch in January next year and run for six months in a defined location in England, to be announced in due course.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)