Tag Archives: healthy lifestyle

Child health, Healthcare, Society

Sports Stars Get Behind The Co-Operative’s Commitment To Governments Pledge To Get Kids Active

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The Co-operative Group today launched a pledge to back the Government’s Public Health ‘Responsibility Deal’ to encourage more people to become more physically active. The Co-operative, which is already committed to inspiring young people to lead an active lifestyle, launched a pledge with its partner Activate Sport – the UK’s leading sports and activity camps for children – committing, by 2012, to:

• reach 20,000 through sports camps;
• double the number of camps to 500 across the UK.

To launch the pledge, golfer Lee Westwood and dancer Brendan Cole, whose specialist Academies are supported by The Co-operative, teamed up to give youngsters lessons in dance and golf, as well as swapping some professional tips with each other on the course at Rye Hill Golf Club, Banbury.

Other sporting stars backing the pledge include former England cricketer Andrew Flintoff, tennis star Annabel Croft, Welsh rugby player Shane Williams, England’s Rugby World Cup winner Matt Dawson and GB Hockey player and Olympic hopeful Crista Cullen – all of whom will be working with The Co-operative to achieve this pledge through their specialist Academies.

Simon Burns, Minister of State for Health and Co-Chair of the Responsibility Deal Physical Activity Network welcomed the new individual pledge on behalf of The Co-operative and Activate Sport.

He said: “This pledge on behalf of The Co-operative and Activate Sport is a great example of a major retailer working in partnership to promote a range of sport and physical activity opportunities for children and young people. This is particularly important for those children and young people from disadvantaged backgrounds who often face a range of barriers to participate regularly in sport and physical activity. Through the Public Health Responsibility Deal, I am particularly pleased to see The Co-operative and Activate Sport pledging to reach 20,000 children and young people in 2012 – an increase of 25 per cent and hugely important in the year in which London will host the Olympic and Paralympic Games. The potential long-term benefits are huge and extend well beyond health to improved self-confidence and better social interaction.”

Fred Turok, Co-Chair of the Responsibility Deal, Physical Activity Network, said, “I am delighted that The Co-operative has moved so quickly in setting the standard for business by making a core commitment to the health of the nation, giving opportunities to young people to increase their physical activity levels through their partnership with Activate Sport. It is crucial that we improve the nation’s health through physical activity and embed exercise into the DNA of business and the community. I urge other businesses to follow this example and begin to think about their own commitments and role in improving the health of the nation.”

Lee Westwood commented, “I’m passionate about seeing as many young people active and outside as possible, and through my Academy, I’m happy to be part of this pledge to help create these opportunities. To achieve this though, sport needs to be made accessible so increasing the number of camps, is a positive step towards changing the lifestyle of people in the UK. I will also be helping The Activate Sport Foundation and The Co-operative take golf into state schools across the UK, in a task to opening up the game to everyone.”

Brendan Cole, who has set up his own Dance Academy, has also committed to The Co-operative’s pledge to get people active. He said, “Dance can really help build a child’s confidence whilst getting them healthy and active; it’s a great way to work off some energy, particularly for those who aren’t into traditional sports. It’s also not just for girls – boys can get so much out of it too. I’m delighted to be able to help with the pledge to get more people active and I hope I can help inspire people through dance.”

Peter Marks, Group Chief Executive of The Co-operative Group, commented: “The Co-operative recognises the role it has to play in promoting public health, and we are committed to working in partnership with the Government through the Public Health Responsibility Deal. The pledge we are making in partnership with Activate Sport is part of our broader commitment to the Responsibility Deal, and will encourage young people to lead a more active and healthy lifestyle. The pledge is also part of our wider commitment to inspiring young people – locally and globally – with thousands of initiatives encouraging young people to help change the world around them.”

For further information on The Co-operative and Activate Sport pledge go to http://responsibilitydeal.dh.gov.uk/2011/03/10/co-operative-group-the/

Via EPR Network
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Healthcare, Healthcare Information, Healthcare Insurance, Healthcare Services, Public Health, Society

Pruhealth Becomes Nectar’s Exclusive Healthcare Partner

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PruHealth customers can now collect up to 200 Nectar points and 10 Vitality points each week when buying £20 worth of healthy foods* during the weekly shop at Sainsbury’s, under PruHealth’s new and exclusive partnership with Nectar, the largest loyalty programme in the UK.

Enhancing PruHealth’s existing partnership with Sainsbury’s**, the innovative insurer that rewards healthy behaviour has become Nectar’s exclusive healthcare partner within the programme.

Policyholders with Nectar membership can now receive 10 Nectar points per £1 spent in Sainsbury’s on over 1,500 healthy foods***. Customers will also be rewarded 1 Vitality point for every £2 spent on healthy foods, which contributes towards discounts with PruHealth’s reward partners and cashback on the individual’s policy.

Furthermore, Nectar customers wishing to join PruHealth will receive 5,000 Nectar points for taking out a new private medical insurance policy, meaning they could potentially collect up to 15,400 Nectar points in the first year, as well as 520 Vitality points.

Recent findings from PruHealth indicate a third of British adults (33%)**** want to improve their diets and eat more healthily in 2011, and PruHealth and Nectar are committed to helping their members live a healthy lifestyle.

Dr Katie Tryon at PruHealth commented: “We all know what we should be doing to look after ourselves, but we need encouragement to implement these changes into our lifestyle on an ongoing basis. Incentivising healthy behaviour is our core philosophy and we believe our healthy foods initiative can help drive behavioural change amongst our members. We are extremely excited about the possibilities presented by our new partnership with Nectar and our enhanced relationship with Sainsbury’s and look forward to developing further initiatives in the future.”

The innovative insurer hopes the rewards offer an attractive incentive for members to eat healthily, while also providing an attractive proposition for new customers as well. One in ten (12%) British adults said receiving discounts for leading a healthy lifestyle would be an incentive to take out private medical insurance.

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Healthcare, Healthcare Information, Healthcare Services, Public Health, Society

Brits Could Be Waiting Too Long To Do Something About Their Health – Reports PruHealth

PruHealth’s bi-annual Vitality Index* – which tracks the nation’s health trends across stress, exercise, diet, smoking, health knowledge and check-ups – has shown that it would take being diagnosed with a health condition to encourage the 79% of people in the UK to improve their health and fitness.

The Vitality Index also shows a distinction between what UK adults consider the biggest health concerns facing the nation and their own individual health concerns. For example, while obesity was considered the biggest health issue facing the nation, from an individual standpoint, cancer was the greatest health concern nationally. Inability to stop smoking and alcohol abuse made it into the top 5 biggest health issues facing the nation; however these concerns were replaced by stress and Alzheimer’s disease on the list of individual health concerns. Conversely, poor diet and nutrition was considered one of the biggest health concerns facing the nation by almost one fifth of UK adults (19 per cent), but only 8 per cent saw it as an individual health concern.

Although people in the UK appear to be clear on the big issues that are facing the health of the nation (with 81 per cent of people knowing what they should and should not do to be healthy), when it comes to translating this knowledge into healthy behaviours, people appear to be struggling. Only a fifth exercise the recommended 5 days a week or more, and just under a quarter eat five portions of fruit and vegetables a day.

Shaun Matisonn, CEO at PruHealth, said: “The most concerning figure here is undoubtedly the 79 per cent of people who will wait until they are diagnosed with an illness before making any attempt to improve their health and fitness, rather than making a lifestyle change now in order to prevent being diagnosed with an illness in the future.

“Finding a way to motivate a change in lifestyle is the biggest hurdle we face as a society, but using incentives to encourage people to look after their health and wellbeing is an extremely powerful motivator.”

Commenting on the findings, Dr David Grainger, Senior Fellow, Cambridge University, said: “Even though three-quarters of people see the health of themselves and their loved ones as a key priority, for the majority it would take diagnosis of ill health to motivate any significant change of lifestyle. It is hard to over-estimate how big a hurdle this is to promoting change. It is disappointing to see that only 13 per cent of respondents had regular health checks, despite the emphasis of the public health message on prevention rather than cure.

“Interestingly, though, more than half of the population say they would change their lifestyle in response to rewards and incentives. Giving serious thought to incentives for a healthy lifestyle must therefore move higher up the public health agenda.”

*The research was carried out on behalf of PruHealth, the insurer that rewards policyholders for engaging in healthy behaviour, by Ipsos MORI. A nationally representative sample of 3,034 GB adults were questioned online in January 2009. Results are weighted to be representative of the GB adult population. Seasonal variations may affect some responses.

About PruHealth
PruHealth was launched in October 2004 as a joint venture between Prudential and Discovery Holdings from South Africa. Since launch, PruHealth has grown quickly. It now covers over 190,000 lives and in a sample of its individual customers, one third said they had changed their behaviour for the better because of its Vitality reward scheme which encourages policyholders to look after their health.

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Healthcare, Healthcare Information, Healthcare Services, Public Health, Society

PruHealth, The Health Insurance Company That Rewards Policyholders For Being Healthy, Found That People Expected Their January Health Kicks To Last For, On Average, 123 Days.

Research conducted by PruHealth, the private health insurance company that rewards policyholders for being healthy, found that people expected their January health kicks to last for, on average, 123 days. This therefore means that Monday 4 May was the day most people fell off the health wagon.-private health insurance company

Whether it’s down to stronger willpower, more pressure to have celebrity bodies, or simply cutting back on calorific treats in the credit crunch, the average Brit’s New Year health kick has lasted 45 days longer this year than in 2008, with dieters sticking to their diet and fitness regimes for over four months in 2009.*

Of those still sticking to their diets, the vast majority of dieters (55%)** plan to keep up their new healthy lifestyle forever, suggesting that ‘quick-fix’ fad diets such as Beyonce’s maple syrup diet are well and truly out of fashion.

Nearly two-thirds of Brits (61%) planned to embark on a new diet or fitness regime at the start of the year. PruHealth, private medical insurance company, also found that nearly half (48%) of these dieters saw it as an ongoing, permanent lifestyle change rather than an attempt to quickly lose those extra pounds.

However, by the end of April, 30% of dieters had already abandoned their diets, with over a quarter (26%) of people caving in after less than a month on the salads and gym classes.

When it comes to sticking to resolutions, resisting the lure of sugary snacks is the biggest challenge for sweet-toothed dieters, with 22% rating this as the hardest hurdle to overcome. A further 10% admitted giving up alcohol was their biggest health regime challenge.

Katie Roswell, Marketing Director, PruHealth, said: “The nation appears to be taking a step in the right direction and maintaining a healthy lifestyle on an ongoing basis, rather than opting for more dangerous crash diet or exercise plans. The key is finding a routine that incorporates a nutritionally balanced diet and regular exercise into your lifestyle, and not completely denying yourself the occasional treat for doing well, as this can help keep up the motivation.”

Worryingly, for 21% of dieters this year it took the shock of a health scare to inspire them to take action and embark on a new, healthier lifestyle. But messages about the health of the nation appear to be hitting home, as the majority of dieters (54%) simply wanted to follow a healthier lifestyle.

The information here is intended solely for journalists and should not be used by consumers to make financial decisions. Full consumer product information can be found at www.pruhealth.co.uk.

Results have been weighted to nationally representative criteria.
* Opinium Research online poll of 2,233 British adults carried out 23rd – 30th December 2008.
** Opinium Research online poll of 2,200 British adults carried out 17th – 20th April 2009.

About PruHealth 
PruHealth health insurance was launched in October 2004 as a joint venture between Prudential and Discovery Holdings from South Africa. Since launch, PruHealth has grown quickly. It now covers over 190,000 lives and in a sample of its individual customers, one third said they had changed their behaviour for the better because of its Vitality reward scheme which encourages policyholders to look after their health.

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Alternative medicine, Fitness, Healthcare, Healthcare Information, Medicine, Public Health, Society

Pruhealth Vitality Index reveals clear gap between Britons’ perceptions of what it means to be healthy and having a real understanding of the impact of lifestyle

The new PruHealth Vitality Index has revealed a clear gap between Britons’ perceptions of what it means to be healthy and having a real understanding of the impact of lifestyle, diet and fitness levels on current and future health. The Index – which will be repeated on a biannual basis to track the nation’s health trends – provides a comprehensive analysis of general health and wellbeing in Britain.

The report reveals that 69%* of people in Britain claim they are in a good state of health. However, when lifestyle and fitness choices are scrutinised the reality paints quite a different picture as a significant proportion of those who feel they are in a good state of health do not follow a healthy lifestyle:

– only 58% feel they actually follow a healthy lifestyle
– 47% describe their fitness levels as ‘good’
– 24% eat their recommended five a day of fruit and veg
– two thirds think they are overweight
– 21% of Britons smoke
– only a fifth of Britons don’t feel under any stress
– only 14% go for regular screenings or check ups with their GP

Dr David Grainger, Senior Fellow, Cambridge University, said: “This report makes clear that people listen to and understand the public health message. Lifestyles are improving and disease rates are falling. But there is plenty more to do.”

He continued, “If half of current smokers managed to stop smoking tomorrow, we estimate that nearly a million years of lost life would be saved from heart disease alone. Regular health checkups are particularly useful, and it is disappointing to see that only 14% of respondents had regular health checks, despite the emphasis of the public health message on prevention rather than cure.”

Dr Grainger believes, “The Vitality Index is a valuable new indicator of attitudes and behaviours that promote a healthy lifestyle. The Index balances the importance of a number of different areas to provide an interesting snapshot of lifestyles across the UK, and has the potential to predict future trends in public health. This focus on balance, rather than over-emphasis of the importance of one particular element of a healthy lifestyle, conveys exactly the right message at a time when we are in danger of being overwhelmed with guidance on staying fit and healthy.”

The majority (81%) of Britons say they know what they should be doing in order to follow a healthy lifestyle, but many simply aren’t putting this into action, with lack of motivation, cost and lack of time clear barriers to living a healthy lifestyle. More than half (53%) of respondents feel free access to exercise and swimming classes would help tackle national obesity, and 49% claim cheaper fruit and vegetables would have an effect.

*The research was carried out on behalf of PruHealth by Ipsos MORI. A nationally representative sample of 3,034 GB adults were questioned online in July 2008. Results are weighted to be representative of the GB adult population.

About PruHealth:
PruHealth was launched in October 2004 as a joint venture between Prudential and Discovery Holdings from South Africa. Since launch, PruHealth has grown quickly. It now covers approximately 190,000 lives and in a sample of its individual customers, one third said they had changed their behaviour for the better because of its Vitality reward scheme which encourages policyholders to look after their health.

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