Here’s a new twist in the attempt to encourage healthy behaviour: travel rewards.
Lawtons Drugs has paired up with LoyaltyOne—owner and operator of the Air Miles loyalty program—to use Air Miles to encourage customers to take better care of their health.
Lawtons stores in the Halifax-Dartmouth area will offer customers a personalized health program called PROfile Health Club, which will include rewards to help promote healthy behaviours and medication compliance.
The initiative is being fueled by a platform known as wellQ, developed by LoyaltyOne.
A U.S. pilot based on an earlier version of the wellQ platform found a 13% medication adherence increase among participants over a six-month period. And according to a recent Harris/Decima poll, 69% of surveyed Canadians said they would be interested in receiving rewards, such as loyalty points, for following health advice from their pharmacists. But shouldn’t good health be a motivator in and of itself?
“After years of wielding the stick to drive healthier behaviour we are now realizing that it may be more effective to dangle a carrot,” says Peter Meyers, vice-president of product development and innovation with LoyaltyOne/AIR MILES.
According to the Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists, 50% of Canadians do not take their prescription medications exactly as prescribed, and each year, drug non-compliance is the cause of 10% of all hospital admissions. The Harris/Decima poll found that the main reason for neglecting one’s healthcare is simple forgetfulness (38%).