It may feel on some days that the only “reward” you are receiving is “the stick” so what about getting some of the “carrot” for once? You need go no further than the new smartphone app just introduced to British Columbia residents.
By now we are all familiar with the guidance to be physically active, to follow Canada’s Food Guide for our meals and snacks and to stop smoking. That is all fine enough, but is there anything else we could do on our path to adopting a healthier lifestyle? Can we be encouraged to walk instead of drive, or to eat better? The answer could be “Carrot Rewards.”
Carrot Rewards is a smartphone app available from Google Play and iTunes which rewards users with points to their favourite loyalty or rewards program. The app was initially funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada and subsequently with a contribution from the government of B.C. along with some private sector partners including Social Change Rewards, the app’s developers.
The idea behind Carrot Rewards is that people can be coaxed into making better decisions when indirectly offered choices designed to effect certain outcomes. It also works because of the reality that so many people are glued to their phones and are members of at least one Reward/Loyalty program.
Joining Carrot Rewards is simple: download the app, register with your chosen Rewards Plan – currently four are taking part: Aeroplan, More Rewards, Scene and Petro-Points – and start earning points on your plan.
Earning points is as simple as completing a quiz on healthy living topics such as nutrition, grocery shopping and meal planning. The quiz could be about physical activity or mental well-being and how it is connected to physical health. Or it could discuss low-risk drinking or any of dozens of other messages. The information provided in the app specifically targets the common risk factors associated with maintaining healthy weights and combating chronic diseases.
The messages and quizzes are vetted and approved by an advisory council of three NGO partners: YMCA Canada, the Heart & Stroke Foundation, and the Canadian Diabetes Association. They have the task of unanimously approving every message that goes out.
The Carrot Rewards program has been rolled out first for British Columbians but is intended as a national program; once established in B.C., it will be made available in other provinces and territories. The program offers one more tool to leverage other efforts by governments and healthcare providers such as family and school health initiatives. If Carrot Rewards helps people to improve their fitness and diet and promotes better health, reduced healthcare costs will be one result. But more importantly, it will also lead to better and longer lives for individuals.
Carrot Rewards explains its purpose simply: “Our goal is to influence British Columbians to make healthier choices.” Not such a bad result for a playful little app.
