Bupa HK runs 'One Health' campaign, hopes to alter human behaviour through gamification

The pandemic has changed people’s habits and most of us now want to live a more sustainable life. This has resulted in many brands wanting to take steps to help protect the environment. One such brand is Bupa Hong Kong which is launching its first One Health Step Challenge through its app and hopes to encourage real behavioural change through gamification.

Part of the campaign is its first One Health Step Challenge running until 31 July through the Bupa4Life wellness app, encouraging its staff and Bupa individual members to leave a smaller trace on the planet. Participants are able to earn various health and sustainability rewards, while the steps will be recorded and collectively transformed into trees growing in a virtual woodland. From July, Bupa Hong Kong will become an official partner of The Green Earth. Together, Bupa Hong Kong hopes to collect 10 million steps for the virtual woodland from One Health Step Challenge. Steppers can also learn from The Green Earth topics related to local biodiversity, practical advice on sustainable living and waste reduction.

Bupa Hong Kong and The Green Earth will jointly host educational and experiential events, including workshops on recycling and waste management, volunteering and guided clean-up activities in the city.

In addition, the two organisations will also launch a zero-carbon lifestyle e-book, outlining the close connection between the health of people and the planet. The e-book will cover different topics, such as biodiversity and practical tips for sustainable and healthy living.

“We want to empower Hongkongers with the knowledge and incentives to live more sustainably, which in turn, will help them to live longer, healthier, happier lives,” said Penny Davis, director of brand, customer and corporate affairs at Bupa in Hong Kong.

In addition to the campaign, Bupa Hong Kong has also co-conducted in collaboration with the Centre for Communication and Public Opinion Survey of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, which surveyed 303 people in Hong Kong aged between 18 to 65 on their perspectives on environment and health.

When asked about the factors preventing people from practicing sustainability, over half (57.4%) said the “lack of facilitative measures” was a key challenge. Additionally, most of the respondents (88.5%) said that they had not heard of the Climate Action Plan 2030+ initiated by the Hong Kong government, indicating that governmental bodies may have a greater role to play in promoting environmental action.

When it comes to business sectors, close to 50% of current employees believed their companies were not actively engaged in environmental protection, such as waste reduction or setting targets for reducing carbon emissions. An overwhelming majority agreed that the government (87.1%) and business sectors (90%) should make a stronger commitment to sustainability.

“Businesses can engage their staff and customers by introducing tactical initiatives, education and advocate publicly together with experts in  sustainability, from academics to community groups. More importantly, they should be driving a comprehensive plan across their whole-of-business operations to minimise their own impact on the planet,” said Davis.

As the core of the campaign, “One Health”, according to Bupa Hong Kong, is a concept that has long been advocated by academics and sustainability experts around the world, identifies that the health of people is interconnected and interdependent with the health of the planet. This close relationship between humans and nature makes preserving the environment not only an environmental matter, but also integral to human health.

Looking ahead, the concept of “One Health” will be an important part of Bupa Hong Kong’s product development. Davis said that Hongkongers are actively taking small actions to live more sustainably, and they expect businesses to do more. For example, to give them information, support, and steps to take, and these are the reasons for Bupa Hong Kong to take a step forward to make changes.

“People are looking for more information and incentives to help them practice sustainability. More importantly, we are driving behavioural changes through gamification with the step challenge on our Bupa4Life app, rewarding people to lead a healthier life and to contribute to sustainability in our society,” concluded. Davis.

Related articles
Bupa HK campaign: Suffering from cardiovascular diseases is more likely than meeting a soul mate in our lives
Bupa HK launches campaign with focus on mental health