Is it just me or does it appear that folks are walking around in groups, just staring at their phones and not talking to each other? You know, more than usual…

Of course I’m talking about Pokémon GO, the augmented reality game that seems to have tapped into the greater social subconscious. Given it’s current popularity, it’s likely one of the more visible examples of the merging of technology with physical exercise.

The premise of the game is simple enough: Pokémon are little creatures you want to collect. The app lets you know when any are in your general vicinity…but there’s a catch. You have to actually get off the couch and walk to the specified location to attempt to add the creature to your collection. Additionally, the app has a speed threshold of 10mph to discourage people from biking or driving to the various locations. In other words, if you’re moving too fast when in route, you won’t be able to capture the Pokémon.

Entertaining, sure, but the game is pretty basic from the physical activity side of things. If you like general idea, however, there are plenty of apps that offer more robust exercise metrics within the construct of a game. Zombies, Run!, for example, not only has you running from the undead in a variety of customizable missions, but it enables you to track such stats as time, calories burnt, distance and pace. And, as discussed in a previous blog, there are a variety of smart watches available for folks who want to break down and analyze their workouts.

But where’s this all going? Does the utility of such apps and devices end with the individual consumers…or might the ever-increasing stockpile of exercise-related data be put to some other use at some point in time?

According to the World Bank, the average life expectancy of an American in 2014 was 79 years, up from 70 years in 1960.   This improvement is generally accredited to advancements in the health care industry and the implementation of preventative medicine.

And yet, according to the CDC, chronic diseases are still the leading forms of death and disability, place a disproportionate burden on our heath care system, and can significantly impact the quality of one’s life. While there are certain risk factors that are beyond our control (age, gender, race, heredity), modifiable factors (such as a sedentary life style, poor diet, and the use of tobacco products) are proven contributors to the development and acceleration of preventable chronic diseases. As our population is both growing and living longer, it is highly likely preventative medicine will begin to place greater priority on these modifiable factors.

Education will only go so far, though. What would it take to get the greater population to actively embrace better lifestyle choices?

Good question.

My pet theory is that it might all eventually boil down to health insurance premiums. High health insurance premiums, to be specific. In this hypothetical scenario modifiable lifestyle choices would be broken down into a variety of easily verifiable metrics; each of which would have a minimum recommended metric. Regularly meeting a minimum recommended metric would result in a slight break in the premium. Regularly meeting most of the minimum recommended metrics, however, would result in a much more sizable break.

In terms of physical activity, perhaps a metric would be meeting the American Heart Association’s baseline exercise regiment for cardiovascular health: 30 minutes of moderate exercise 5 days a week or 25 minutes of vigorous exercise 3 days a week. Perhaps exceeding this baseline would result in a larger discount. Regardless, the strategy would be to reward those who make healthy lifestyle choices instead of penalizing those who do not.

Far-fetched? Perhaps.

Admittedly, people wearing devices capable of monitoring exercise, vital stats, nutritional consumption, and alcohol and tobacco use sounds like something out of a Terry Gilliam flick. Yet just the other day I stumbled upon this advertisement which, one could argue, is a baby step in this direction:

According to their website Health IQ claims to have negotiated lower heath insurance rates for their members “by measuring data from over 1MM health conscious [sic] people”.   The company’s belief, under Our Mission, is “…the best way to improve the health of the world is to celebrate the health conscious [sic] rather than harass and cajole those who are not.”

Minor grammatical error aside, I’m intrigued.