Fitbit to supply free fitness trackers for Singapore’s population: Here’s why

Fitbit has recently announced that the company will be collaborating with Singapore’s Health Promotion Board (HPB) for the healthy population project which will be supporting Singapore’s Smart Nation initiative. The Health Promotion Board is Singapore’s government agency which implements policy as well as programs in order to improve the nation’s health. This will be Fitbit’s first major integration into a national public health program with a digital health platform and wearables.

The initiative by Fitbit, which has been named Live Healthy SG, is uniquely designed for the population of Singapore by Fitbit in order to harness technology, behavior insights as well as analytics to help Singaporeans become more healthy with help of meaningful and sustained behavior change. Under the partnership, Fitbit will be using Live Healthy SG that will engage people of all ages as well as levels of health. For this, the company will use its wearable devices and its new Premium service, which is already launching in select markets around the world this fall.

Fitbit’s Live Healthy SG builds on Singapore’s Smart Nation efforts in order to transform key sectors of the society, including healthcare with help of innovative technology. For the unknown, Singapore is recognized globally as one of the healthiest countries in the world due to its efficient healthcare system which includes high-quality health services, skilled healthcare talent and world-class infrastructure. However, like many nations, the Singapore is facing the rise of chronic issues among residents such as hypertension, type 2 diabetes as well as cancer.

Fitbit was selected for this program through a competitive call in order to collaborate after various levels of competitive evaluation. The initiative by Singapore’s Health Promotion Board (HPB) takes on the unique challenge of using Fitbit technology to help improve population health which will also be based on the company’s ability that drive behavior change and health outcomes.

Zee Yoong Kang, CEO, Health Promotion Board said, “The area of population health presents an exciting opportunity for innovation. Increasingly, the Health Promotion Board has leveraged emerging technologies as well as behavior insights in the design of our programs, such as the National Steps Challenge – a nationwide program to keep active, to encourage Singaporeans to adopt healthy living and to affect behavior change. HPB will continue to embark on such nationwide programs to encourage and support Singaporeans in keeping active, adopting healthy living and affecting behavior change. At the same time, we intend to work with industry innovators, such as Fitbit, on additional efforts to use technology to provide Singaporeans with personalized health advice and nudges, so that they can take control of their own health. Participants of this program will benefit from Fitbit’s plans to incorporate artificial intelligence and machine learning to encourage physical activity, healthy eating and better sleep quality. The insights gathered can also help to enrich HPB’s health promotion programs”.

Live Healthy SG by Fitbit will leverage the company’s full ecosystem of wearable devices, services, software including programs, guidance as well as individual 1:1 health coaching which will be offered through Fitbit’s new Premium service. Participants from Singapore will receive a dynamic and personalized experience which will help in motivating them to adopt healthier habits along with achieving better outcomes in areas of physical activity, emotional wellbeing, sleep and nutrition.

“At Fitbit, our focus has always been on making health more accessible and achievable by giving people fun, simple and innovative technology – and this focus has driven results for millions around the world,” said James Park, co-founder and CEO of Fitbit.

“Our partnership with the Singapore Health Promotion Board is a recognition of our work to date, and we are confident that the powerful combination of our devices, software and services will motivate Singaporeans to improve their health, while also tangibly helping a nation to improve health at scale. We commend Singapore for its leadership and look forward to seeing other countries follow a similar blueprint to improve the health of their people.”

As part of the partnership between Fitbit and Singapore, the HPB will leverage its own outreach channels in order to support Fitbit in encouraging participation for the program. When participants register for the Fitbit program, there will also be a simple, clear and seamless consent process in order to indicate if they agree to share their data during the program with Singapore’s Health Promotion Board (HPB). Such data will, in turn, provide organization some insights and contribute to develop more effective health promotion programs which will benefit many Singaporeans.

People living in Singapore will be able to pre-register for Live Healthy SG from mid-September 2019, and the program will officially kick start in late October 2019. Participants who enroll for the program and commit to Fitbit Premium service for one year will receive a Fitbit Inspire HR at no cost. Moreover, in order to driving positive lifestyle changes among individuals, the program will also serve as a resource which will provide detailed population insights in order to inform future health programs. This will enable Singapore’s Health Promotion Board to explore other opportunities in terms of precision in public health, providing interventions at the right time and more.

For the unknown, Fitbit is a leading global wearables brand which is known for designing products as well as experiences which track and provide motivation for daily health and fitness. Fitbit’s diverse line of innovative as well as popular products include Fitbit Charge 3™, Fitbit Inspire™, Fitbit Ace 2™ activity trackers, Fitbit Inspire HR™ along with Fitbit Ionic™ Fitbit Versa™ smartwatches, Fitbit Aria 2™ Wi-Fi Smart Scale and Fitbit Flyer™ wireless headphones.