John Hancock gives its life insurance customers an Apple Watch for only $25, but they have to earn it by exercising. A new study shows that this program is very successful.
Participants increased their activity rates by over 30 percent.
A major focus of the Apple Watch is helping wearers track their exercise. This goes beyond just counting steps, as a built-in heart monitor records beats per minute, allowing activity intensity to be measured.
People will exercise to get a cheap Apple Watch
The study by the Rand Corporation included 400,000 people in the US, UK, and S. Africa, making it the world’s largest behavior tech study based on verified data. It concluded that those who wore an Apple Watch and participated in John Hancock’s Vitality Active Rewards benefit program averaged a 34 percent sustained increase in physical activity, compared to participants who did not use an Apple Watch.
The improvements among US participants were significant. The number of active days increased by almost 31 percent, and high-intensity activity days increased by 52 percent.Those who previously were the most inactive and had the highest body mass index saw the greatest gains, increasing physical activity by 200 percent.
“The RAND research proves the experience of our customers to date will have long-term impact — people can successfully take small, everyday steps to improve their overall health and a life insurance company can help them in that journey,” said Marianne Harrison, CEO of John Hancock.
Earn an Apple Watch for $25
This life insurance company just announced that policyholders can receive the new Apple Watch Series 4 for as little as $25. Again, this requires regular exercise.
Specifically, participants must walk, run, bike, swim, or perform other exercises to earn “Vitality Points” that go toward their monthly watch payments. Those who earn 500 Vitality Points per month over two years need to make no additional payments.
This program also requires a life-insurance policy from John Hancock.
