The NHS has seemingly decided that Britain’s “inactivity crisis” can be solved in much the same way as coffee chains persuade a customer to buy another coffee. If you walk twenty minutes a day, you collect your points, and those points could earn you a freebie.
Under the new Movement 26.2 campaign, those who complete the equivalent of a marathon each month through everyday walking might eventually be rewarded with discounts and vouchers through an NHS-backed loyalty scheme.
Movement 26.2 is yet another example of the state believing that the public are there to be nudged
Each year, the NHS is spending £1 billion as a result of physical inactivity. Britain has become increasingly sedentary, and many are suffering the harmful effects of this, through heart disease and diabetes. People should probably be walking more, that’s a given. But is a state-backed reward scheme the best means to achieve this?
There’s something quite modern about the idea that the route to a healthier nation lies somewhere between the Tesco Clubcard and Duolingo. Instead of focusing on the reasons why people become less active, government’s instinct is to ask how behaviour might be nudged via points, badges and gamified incentives.
