LumiHealth: Here’s how Singapore uses the Apple Watch to encourage healthier living

Although the COVID-19 pandemic still remains a global health concern, the Singapore government is still investing on efforts to improve personal health of its citizens. Bad health habits can cause chronic diseases which are said to be more deadly than COVID-19. To gamify healthy activities and behaviours, Singapore’s Health Promotion Board has launched LumiHealth in partnership with Apple.

LumiHealth, a program that’s part of the Smart Nation initiative, uses the Apple Watch and the iPhone to challenge its users to adopt healthy habits through personalised reminders, programs, activity coaching and incentives. By completing the goals and challenges, LumiHealth users can earn LumiPoints, Coins and rewards. The coins accumulated can be used to redeem HPB eVouchers worth up to SGD 380 (about RM1,156) over a two-year duration.

The LumiHealth app taps into Apple’s health and fitness ecosystem and it knows when you closed your activity rings. To provide a fun and interactive view of your progress, the app features an intergalactic explorer that’s looking for a way home. Each task you complete will help the explorer to reach its goal.

The tasks and challenges are personalised and it depends on the users’ age, gender and weight. Apart from encouraging you to perform more fitness activities, the app aims to help improve your sleeping habits and also making better food choices. It will also remind you to go for recommended health screening and vaccinations.

To use LumiHealth, you must own an Apple Watch and it works best if you are using Series 3 or newer. It doesn’t supports other wearables as the program is designed to take advantage of the Apple Watch’s health features.

The app is now available for “pre-order” on the Apple App Store and it is expected to be released for free on the 28th of October 2020. Users must have a SingPass account and the LumiHealth app is open to Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents aged 17 years or older.

Commenting on the partnership, Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat said, “This partnership between Singapore and Apple will enable Singaporeans to lead healthier lives, but equally important, it will contribute valuable insights to improving the health of people all over the world.”

Two years ago, the Singapore government had invited international healthcare and tech companies to submit proposals on ways to enrich the lives and health of its population. Eventually, Apple was selected due to its commitment to health while upholding user privacy and security. You can learn more about LumiHealth here.

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