Yahoo Finance Hit your NHS exercise target and get money off your weekly shop
Families could get money off their weekly supermarket shop if they reach NHS fitness targets.
As part of the Healthy New Towns initiative, people will be offered a range of rewards for hitting step counts as measured by an app.
Incentives could include discounts on supermarket groceries, reduced sports clothing and gym membership and free cinema tickets.
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NHS England chief executive Simon Stevens said: “If there’s to be a much-needed wave of new house building across England, let’s ‘design-in’ health from the start.
“The NHS makes no apologies for weighing in with good ideas on how the how the built environment can encourage healthy towns and supportive neighbourhoods.”
Measures could also include giving away bicycles with new build houses and flats, in an effort to cut car use and encourage cycling.
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Many smartphones now come with preloaded apps which count the number of steps users do, plus sensors that measure heart rate, blood oxygen levels and stress levels.
Users can set step targets on their phones to see if they can achieve a certain number during a day.
Britain’s obesity levels have been rising alarmingly over recent years. One in five children starting primary school is obese or overweight, rising to one in three by the time they leave.
Obesity is reckoned to cost the NHS some £27bn a year in treating the various conditions and diseases, such as diabetes, associated with it.
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According to the Daily Telegraph, some 76,000 homes across the country are involved in the NHS Healthy New Towns initiative, covering everywhere from Devon to Lancashire, Kent to Cheshire.
The programme, launched last year, puts “good health at the heart of urban design and planning” and aims to “reduce pressure on the NHS by rethinking our lifestyles and the way health services are delivered”, NHS England said.
