CHICAGO, March 21, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- A new study
published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine
found that rebates on healthy food purchases cause people to put
healthier food in their grocery carts. Led by the nonprofit
research organization the RAND Corporation, the analysis examined
the purchases of more than 170,000 South African households, of
which 60 percent participated in Discovery Vitality' s HealthyFood
program and were eligible for a cash-back rebate of up to 25
percent for healthy food purchases.
(Logo:
http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110713/CG34519LOGO)
The study found that program participation led to an increased
consumption of fruits, vegetables and whole grain foods and less
spending on high sugar, salty and fried foods, processed meats and
fast food. According to the research, a rebate of 25 percent
increased the ratio of healthy to total food purchased by 9.3
percent, increased the ratio of fruit and vegetables to total food
purchases by 8.5 percent, and decreased the ratio of less-desirable
food to total food purchases by 7.2 percent.
"This paper provides good evidence that lower prices for
healthier foods significantly alter purchasing patterns," said
Roland Sturm, a study co-author and a senior economist at RAND.
Discovery Holding's incentive-based wellness program, Vitality,
is offered to nearly 4 million consumers worldwide. The Vitality
Group, based in Chicago, provides
Vitality as a standalone program in the U.S. Vitality is offered in
South Africa and the U.K. through
Discovery's health insurance subsidiaries, Discovery Health and
PruHealth.
"While the research results show that diets can be shifted
through the use of incentives, this is only one component of
Vitality's program and our efforts to focus on health promotion and
workplace wellness," said Derek Yach, Senior Vice President, The
Vitality Group. "By leveraging the latest in behavioral economics,
clinical and actuarial science, we are working to develop
innovative programs to help people make healthy choices to reduce
the impact and costs of chronic diseases such as obesity and
diabetes for individuals and organizations."
Vitality is a comprehensive health and wellness solution that
educates, assists, and motivates individuals to engage in a broad
set of verified activities with proven outcomes. The program
employs sophisticated behavior change models supported by an
actuarially-sound incentive program to achieve meaningful and
measureable health improvement.
About Discovery Holdings
Discovery Holdings (JSE: DSY) is an authorized financial
services provider. Discovery operates in the healthcare and life
insurance markets in South Africa,
the United Kingdom and
China, as well as the long-term
savings and investment market, and short-term insurance market in
South Africa. Vitality,
Discovery's wellness program, is the world's largest scientific,
incentive-based wellness solution. It provides individual and
corporate wellness initiatives in South
Africa, the United Kingdom,
the United States and China. The global Vitality membership base now
exceeds 4 million lives. The company's core purpose is to make
people healthier, and to enhance and protect their lives.
About The Vitality Group
The Vitality Group is a member of Discovery Holdings Limited.
Vitality wellness programs serve more than 4 million members
worldwide at companies in a wide range of sizes and industry
categories, improving individuals' health and wellbeing as well as
employers' bottom lines. With a foundation based on actuarial
science and behavioral economic theory, Vitality encourages changes
in lifestyle that reduce healthcare costs, both in the short run
and long term, by rewarding members for addressing their specific
health issues.
SOURCE The Vitality Group