Five truths about Vitality that might surprise you
Making clients healthier while unlocking more immediate value and higher levels of engagement is at the heart of Vitality’s Health and Life proposition. But it benefits more people than you might think, writes Vitality’s Chief Operations and Growth Officer, Greg Levine.
Because the Vitality Programme rewards our members for doing physical activity or doing healthy activities, like mindfulness, you might be forgiven for assuming it’s for a certain type of client.
However, our own member data - now made up of 1.8m members – tells a very different story. In truth, the broad appeal and accessibility of the Vitality Programme, means it offers value – and health benefits – to all ages and demographics.
In 2023, our members saved £82m in rewards1. We also saw 29% reduction in risk of hospitalisation2 - and an almost five-year increase in life expectancy1 - for our most active members. Through these remarkable results, we genuinely believe we are transforming what’s possible within health and protection insurance, for you and your clients.
With that in mind, here are five fascinating facts about Vitality that might surprise you.
1. There's no need to hit the gym five times a week
The Vitality Programme is built around the science of behaviour change and helping people to make positive choices and adopt healthier habits that stick.
That’s why there are numerous ways for clients to earn Vitality points, that reward small, incremental improvements. Often these are everyday activities that people are already doing, like taking the dog for a walk, going for the occasional run or a cycle ride. In fact, the majority of Vitality points are earned by members just walking.
Because of the wide appeal and inclusivity of the Vitality Programme, there are also plenty of ways for members to earn points that don’t require any physical activity at all.
Did you know that clients can earn enough Vitality points to hit ‘Silver’ status just by completing a Vitality Online Health Review and Vitality Healthcheck?
Clients can also earn points from dental check-ups, eye-tests, smear tests and many other check-ups, screenings and vaccinations. Highlighting the importance of monitoring your health and ‘knowing your numbers’, as well as engaging in moderate physical activity.
2. All age groups benefit
Another common misconception is that younger clients are more likely to be interested in fitness tracking, physical activity, or using apps to engage with rewards and benefits.
Our own experience at Vitality tells us otherwise. It’s often older members that are the most engaged and, in fact, recording higher activity levels.
We see for example an 11% increase in active days amongst members over the age of 50 compared to those under 50 and a 15% improvement in physical activity levels of Apple Watch users over 60, compared to under 30s3.
What this proves is that it’s never too late to adopt positive lifestyle habits - and the impact can be transformative, especially in older people.
For example, over 65s see a 52% reduction in mortality risk from doing physical activity three times a week for three years4. Whilst members over the age of 60 are twice as likely to reduce their risk of hospitalisation when they engage with the Vitality Programme.
3. Personalised support is lowering health risks
Perhaps one of the most alarming trends in recent years is the big increase in lifestyle risks such as poor diet and obesity, which now makes up almost half of the UK disease burden5.
While prevention has become more of a focus of our industry, not only do we go further than other insurers by incentivising healthy behaviour through rewards and partners. We also help clients to improve and even reverse significant lifestyle risks, through personalised and targeted support.
Since 2022, we’ve used the data from a member’s annual Health Review to drive our ‘Next Best Action’ initiative. By taking a more targeted approach based on an individual’s situation, we offer a tailored approach to tackle risks such as diabetes, obesity or smoking.
By empowering people to better understand their own health, we can drive significant improvements. Of those members enrolled on a Next Best Action programme, almost half lost at least 4% of their body weight, 10% reversed their diabetes and 47% quit smoking2.
4. Maintaining a Vitality status is easier than you might think
Because the Vitality Programme is based on the principles of behavioural economics, once a member is engaged, they’re more likely to build and maintain their Vitality status – and unlock better health.
For example, clients who have Optimiser on our Life plans – which offers upfront premium discount for those opt in - members are three times more likely to engage with their plan and reach Silver Status and beyond because they are incentivised to do so. But even those that don’t make Silver still get almost 25% of their premium back in savings1.
The annual benefits statements we send members give them a detailed breakdown of the rewards and savings they’ve made, reminding them of their Vitality status, alongside details of their core cover. Another powerful way of driving member engagement with the Vitality Programme.
It’s also worth highlighting that this higher engagement also benefits advisers, with Platinum members up to 46% less likely to lapse their plan1.
5. We do the onboarding for you
Getting a client using the app, earning points and redeeming rewards is key to getting them engaged and getting the most out of their Vitality plan.
We know though that advisers don’t always have the time to do this themselves, which is why our dedicated team of onboarding experts take care of all that, freeing up more time for advisers.
However, if advisers do want to get involved and engage with clients about the Vitality Programme and associated rewards and benefits, it can also be a great way of creating regular contact touchpoints and strengthening the overall relationship.
Just take the annual rewards and benefits statements, for example. These are also shared with the adviser, so can be used as a way of kicking off an annual catch-up with the client, which are often used to generate cross-sale or referral business opportunities. Everyone wins.
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2. VitalityHealth Claims Insights Report 2023
3. Vitality Analysis, 2023
4. The Vitality Habit Index, March 2024
5. Global Burden of Disease database; Williamson, E., Walker, A. J., Bhaskaran, K. J., Bacon, S., Bates, C., Morton, C. E., ... & Cockburn, J. (2020).