The Better Health: Rewards programme has been launched by the Government's Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) and is available exclusively to Wolverhampton residents.
Participants can claim a free fitness tracker or sync their own device to the free Better Health: Rewards app. They will then be able to earn points for taking simple actions or achieving healthy goals which they will be able to swap for rewards.
The app will generate personalised health goals for every participant – such as increasing their step count or eating more fruit and vegetables.
And, over a period of 20 weeks, participants will be able to collect points for each goal they complete which they can then exchange for rewards including discounts for cinema or theme park tickets, and clothes or food vouchers.
Major supermarkets including Sainsburys, Aldi, Morrisons, Tesco and Asda are participating in the scheme so users can earn money off their food shop.
Hundreds of other rewards are also on offer, including vouchers for retailers like Amazon and Argos, and passes to gyms and leisure centres across Wolverhampton including the council's WV Active leisure centres, PureGym, Places Leisure and Complexions.
The pilot is testing the role that rewards and incentives can play, alongside innovative technology, in making it easier for people to eat better and increase physical activity.
Councillor Ian Brookfield, the Leader of the City of Wolverhampton Council, said: "We are working hard to improve the overall health of everyone in Wolverhampton by providing innovative solutions which can help our residents get more active.
"We are already making significant progress in tackling physical inactivity, improving infrastructure and making environmental changes to enable people to be more active, and we are delighted to be working with OHID on this important pilot programme to see whether offering incentives can help people make positive changes to improve their health and wellbeing.
"Our city is the only place in the country to be involved in this pilot, so this is a great opportunity for the people of Wolverhampton – and it's fantastic that thousands of you have already signed up.
"Not only will you have the opportunity to earn at least £40 in rewards, but you will also be given a free fitness tracker if you haven't already got one.
"So, if you haven't already done so, please don't miss out – sign up for Better Health: Rewards today!"
The pilot has benefited from expert advice from Sir Keith Mills, pioneer of leading reward programme Airmiles and Nectar. He said: “This scheme is a fantastic opportunity to explore how government, business and the third sector can work together to deliver a new and engaging way of supporting the public to make healthier choices.
“Through the pilot we will have exciting and innovative partners on board who will help motivate people to want to earn incentives, but also should help them overcome barriers to making healthy decisions in future. I’m looking forward to seeing how this scheme develops.”
All Wolverhampton residents aged 18 and over are invited to take part. To get started, simply download the free Better Health: Rewards app from the AppStore or Google Play.
For more information, visit Better Health: Rewards.
