NHS to reward people who walk 30 minutes a day

The aim is to get more than 100,000 people to sign up, with daily statistics recorded digitally.

Sir Brendan says if the target is met it will be the biggest marathon in history.

He hopes streak culture, the habit-forming behavior seen on Snapchat and Duolingo, will help people cope with challenges.

The health benefits and potential NHS savings would also be significant.

“If someone walks for 30 minutes five times a week, they can gain up to four extra years of healthy life,” he says.

Full details of the scheme and information on how to sign up will be published in the coming months.

The organizing team has not yet provided any details about what the rewards and incentives might be for walking for half an hour every day for a month.

One option is to provide coupons. One of the team is Sir Keith Mills, founder of the original Air Miles and Nectar customer loyalty programs with their own incentive offers.

Health authorities say the NHS will not pay for the rewards. They say the NHS in England will be in partnership with other organizations from the public and private sectors to deliver the scheme. General practitioners and other healthcare staff will be encouraged to promote this initiative among their patients.

Sonia Pombo, head of research and impact at Action on Salt & Sugar, says: “Encouraging people to take regular exercise in their daily lives can support better health, and making it simple, attainable and rewarding can help more people take action.

“But we can’t rely on individual behavior change alone. If the government is serious about improving the health of the country, especially children, it must pair initiatives like this with stronger prevention measures.”