Introducing Vitality Move

It is estimated that nearly half (48.7%) of South Africans with hypertension have never been screened and therefore remain undiagnosed and unaware of their increased risk for heart disease and strokes. Similarly, estimates indicate that around 1.58 million South Africans have undiagnosed diabetes that, if left untreated, can lead to nerve and kidney damage as well as a number of other equally concerning complications.

“If a chronic illness is picked up early, people can avoid the devastating effects of an unchecked illness down the line. People need to be empowered to get an insight into their personal health status. This is an important step to knowing and managing ones health” said head of Vitality Wellness Dr Craig Nossel.

Discovery offers the Vitality Health Check to its members which is a simple and convenient set of the most essential health screening tests – these include measuring blood pressure, blood glucose and cholesterol levels, determining your weight status, and signing a non-smoker’s declaration. Vitality Health Checks can be done at any pharmacy in the Vitality Wellness Network, at a Vitality Wellness Centre, at a Discovery Wellness Day or at a Discovery Store. To be able to manage your health effectively it is important to have these screenings at least annually and then adopt healthy behaviours to keep your measurements within the healthy ranges. Being aware of your health status better equips you to take the necessary steps to live a healthier lifestyle. To expand our reach and make the Vitality Health Check available to more South Africans Discovery has launched Vitality Move. Vitality Move is free to join for members of selected schemes administered by Discovery Health and rewards you for knowing your numbers by giving you a chance to win shopping rewards.

“We have learnt that simply educating people about the importance of screening and adopting healthy behaviours is not enough to shift these complex habits, innovative solutions are needed to shift the dial on positive health behaviour change. An annual Vitality Health Check is an opportunity for our members to understand their health and be empowered to make necessary changes if needed. We have made health screening easily accessible to our members by offering the Vitality Health Check at a wide network of healthcare providers and have removed the cost barrier by ensuring that the test comes at no cost to the member. Vitality Move will encourage more people to go for health screening tests because they are rewarded simply for doing so,” said head of Vitality Wellness Dr Craig Nossel.

In addition to screening, good nutrition and being physically active are both critical components to achieving and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Vitality Move supports this by encouraging members to improve their eating habits by rewarding them for buying healthy foods. As part of Vitality’s HealthyFood benefit, which rewards members for buying HealthyFood items, members who activated Vitality Move stand a chance to win back their spend on HealthyFood items simply by swiping their Smart Shopper card at Pick n Pay each time they shop.

“We are always looking for innovative ways to make the healthy choice the easy choice and improve access to cost-effective healthier products and believe Vitality Move is a positive step towards helping customers make healthier choices. We stock over 18 000 Vitality HealthyFood items so customers have a really wide range of healthy foods to choose from. We think this programme will make a positive impact on our customers’ lives and reward them for it at the same time,” said John Bradshaw, Head of Marketing, Pick n Pay.

By upgrading Vitality Move for just R35 a month, members will get access to even more benefits and rewards, such as up to R100 off their monthly gym fees at Virgin Active or Planet Fitness, up to R100 in Pick n Pay shopping rewards every month, and up to R100 off movie tickets every month at Ster-Kinekor. Apart from going for their Vitality Health Check, members can boost their rewards by getting their weight in a healthy range and by getting active.

“Our data has proven that rewards are an effective driver of behaviour change – we have seen screening rates triple, and physical activity and purchases of healthy foods increase. These are the results of engaged members who have seen the value and rewards of a healthier lifestyle with Vitality. With the rising trend in obesity and other lifestyle-related diseases, we are hoping to see more people doing their health screenings and filling their trollies with healthier options in order to start managing their health,” concluded Dr Nossel.

Joining Vitality Move is free and simple. Members of qualifying Discovery Health schemes can join Vitality Move by registering their Pick n Pay Smart Shopper card and linking it to Vitality Move by dialling *120*6683# (*120*MOVE#) and following the prompts.

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Note to editors:

Vitality Move is available to all schemes administered by Discovery Health except Glencore.