UK government may reward the people who maintain healthy lifestyle

The United Kingdom government in a move to make the people of their country healthier may give financial rewards to people who reduce weight and eat healthy. The government is deciding to reward people who will cut down their calorie intake and maintain a healthy lifestyle, reported the Guardian. The UK government will be investing over £70 million in weight management courses for overweight people.

Rewards for maintaining healthy lifestyle

NHS and local councils in England will be given £70 million by the UK government to pay for 700,000 overweight people who can go for weight management courses, reported the Guardian. According to the Guardian, Sir Keith Mills, the creator of the Nectar and air miles reward schemes has also been told to find if financial incentives would inspire people to eat healthy food and exercise more. He will also look at if initiatives like the national step challenge in Singapore would help if imposed in Britain. In this initiative, people doing physical activity like cycling, running etc get cash payments. The health officials also check their progress using wearable devices. 

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Research published last year in British Medical Journal found that 26% population of Singapore had taken part in a government-backed scheme. The people would get health points and the government would give them rewards. According to the Guardian, almost two-thirds of adults in the UK are overweight while 1 in 3 children in primary school is overweight. This costs the NHS £6 billion a year. Prime Minister Boris Johnson who himself lost weight during his COVID-19 treatment said, "Losing weight is hard but with some small changes we can all feel fitter and healthier. If we all do our bit, we can reduce our health risks and protect ourselves against coronavirus as well as taking pressure off the NHS."

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