Delighted to support the creation of the Hale and Hearty App and Knowledge Base
Over the past decade, people have started moving less and that is having a direct impact on obesity. Ireland is dealing with such an issue and now has the second highest obesity rate in the EU. More than a quarter of all Irish people are classified as obese, 26% according to the latest data from 2019. The EU average is 16%, and only Malta has a higher obesity rate, in their case 28%.
By comparison, in 2014 Ireland had an obesity rate of 18%, so things have changed quite a bit in just a few years, and the situation might be getting worse. But how are people diagnosed with being obese or not? There are different criteria here, but the main one used is BMI (Body Mass Index). A person BMI needs to be around 25 -30 in order for a person to be considered overweight and over 30 for that person to be obese. A BMI of 18.5 to 25 is seen as normal.
What can we do?
Roughly 70% of the male adults in Ireland and 52% of women are overweight, and even 1 child out of 4 is overweight as well. According to the latest data, 40% of the Irish population has a healthy weight. Needless to say, we need to take action as quickly as possible, otherwise it will end up being too late to deal with such a problem. That’s where the Hale and Hearty app comes into play.
How can Hale and Hearty help?
The Hale and Hearty app is a simple app that encourages people to complete healthy tasks, and it rewards them for that. Tasks vary from completing a certain number of steps, burning a specific amount of calories or sleeping for the right amount of time. These tasks are focused on improving every user’s health, while offering a vast range of rewards. The app comes with its own reward store, and users within the same region are able to compete against each other and win various prizes.
Hale and Hearty encourages competition and it shows that it’s very important to focus on health and wellbeing as much as possible. Even if that might seem hard to do, offering some rewards can help make the process better and more cohesive. The app also shows the healthiest areas in Ireland based on how many people fulfill their goals within their own region.
Conclusion
Hale and Hearty acknowledges the health issues that a lot of people face in Ireland, and it finds a creative way for people to take action. It’s more important than ever to encourage ourselves to walk, eat healthily and to prevent obesity or severe health issues. Plus, Hale and Hearty doubles down by offering amazing rewards, which encourage people to embrace a healthier and happier lifestyle!
