The Importance of Behaviour and Healthy Habits
He concluded by underscoring the importance of behavioral changes in healthcare. According to the Vitality Health Index, a study that looked at the habits of more than 1 million Vitality members across South Africa and the United Kingdom over ten years, 40-50% of our lives are controlled by habits. This means that changing personal habits will not only change our health but also our lives. The report shows the direct impact that habits have on our health and the transformative power of healthy habits, as outlined in the following examples:
- Sustaining a healthy habit for 3 years can add up to 5 years to your life expectancy.
- Sustaining a habit of 10,000 steps 3 or more days every week, for 3 years, can reduce your type 2 diabetes risk by 41%.
- Healthy exercise habits are 15% more impactful for life expectancy at age 65+ than at age 45 to 65.
- Engaging in physical activity three times a week for three years can decrease mortality risk by 27% and cut healthcare costs by up to 13%.
Ron illustrated how personalized and predictive healthcare can significantly impact health outcomes and cost-efficiency, stating, “Leveraging big data and a patented AI-platform built by Discovery Health, we deliver precise and personalized health recommendations for 2.1 million adult clients of the Discovery Health Medical Scheme. Each client has their own Personal Health Pathway that dynamically updates based on their needs and health data. Additionally, clients earn a range of rewards for completing their recommended actions, driving increased uptake and sustained engagement in personalized healthy behaviors.”
Ron’s address was a powerful call for the continued evolution of healthcare systems through precision and personalization. His insightful commentary highlighted that with recent exponential advances in big data and AI, the need for precision and personalization in health has converged with the data and technology required to achieve it.
