Social WellnessTM
Health is a social phenomenon. The people around us have a significant impact on our health, and we have influence on theirs as well. We all know this from personal experience. Think about it: aren't you more likely to go to the gym when you have an exercise buddy? Don't you feel more inclined to eat healthy when your lunch date orders a salad? On the flip side, isn't it hard to stick to your diet when a co-worker drops off a box of doughnuts in the break room?
A growing body of research is illuminating the ways in which health—and the behaviors that lead to various health outcomes—can spread from person to person. These studies show us while unhealthy behaviors tend to be contagious within social networks, healthy behaviors can also spread if we create the right environment and structure.
At ShapeUp, we believe that understanding the social dynamics of health is critical to successfully promoting wellness. We've learned that the best way to improve the health of individuals and populations is by bringing people together for social support, motivation, and accountability. And we've shown that leveraging the power of peer relationships can produce the best results in wellness programs for employers and health plans. We call our approach Social WellnessTM.
Benefits of Social WellnessTM
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WEBINAR: Learn how KeyBank achieved record-breaking engagement rates.
- Social Interaction Drives Engagement
Want to unify a global workforce or dispersed community? Eager to engage your at-risk employees or members? Having trouble breaking through resistance to wellness initiatives? It's time to harness the power of social networking. And we're not talking about Facebook. Instead, we can help you leverage the relationships that your employees and members have with each other. It turns out that we're more likely to read wellness communications when they come from our peers, and we're more apt to join a wellness program when invited by a friend or colleague. Turn your wellness program marketing campaign upside down by tapping into a grassroots, bottom-up approach to recruitment and engagement. You'll create a groundswell of excitement and start to change culture at the core of your population.
ShapeUp clients see up to 50% annual participation rates
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- Social Games Make Wellness Fun
When you hear the word "game," you might think of three things: fun, teamwork, and competition. Fancy that: these are the same elements that can motivate and inspire people to achieve their health goals. ShapeUp uses creative social games, also known as challenges, to unite individuals to support and compete with each other. Social tools allow participants to cheer each other on via high-fives and messages boards as well as keep each other on track through reminders, nudges, and comparison charts. Using game mechanics like points, levels, and leaderboards drives participants to achieve fitness results they never thought possible. All of this can take your wellness program to new heights, just by making wellness fun.
ShapeUp participants report a 90% satisfaction rate
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WEBINAR: Join the debate about social vs. financial incentives
- Social Rewards Drive Intrinsic Motivation
Incentives are a major part of most wellness programs. And we've designed a robust, real-time rewards platform based on behavioral economics that maximizes the impact of your incentive dollars. But money and material gifts are costly, and they alone aren't enough to permanently change behavior and achieve a culture of health. The most effective wellness programs tap into intrinsic motivation, spurring participants to pursue better health because it's good for them, and because they enjoy the journey. Social rewards tap into this intrinsic motivation that so many wellness program managers wish to harness within their populations. Status, bragging rights, encouragement from peers, and even the simple ability to benchmark progress against others can propel individuals to keep going, even when the going gets tough. The research, and our seven years of experience, shows that social rewards are potent, drive sustainable behavior change, and can save your organization a great deal of money.
Social rewards cost nothing and are sustainable over time
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WEBINAR: Hear social wellness success stories from leading employers and health plans
- A Social Approach Produces Real Outcomes & ROI
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Adopting a social wellness program makes healthy living fun, drives higher participation, and motivates participants to stay engaged. What's not to love? Most importantly, it helps you achieve your primary objective: improving the health of your population. ShapeUp's model for social wellness has been studied extensively by Dr. Rena Wing and her colleagues at the Weight Control & Diabetes Research Center at Brown University Medical School. Turns out, it really works! Four peer-reviewed research studies have shown that it produces clinically significant health outcomes. Real and measurable outcomes achieved across large groups of people translate not just into a healthier population but into substantial cost savings. One of our clients reported saving more than $1,000,000 with ShapeUp!
Learn More
Have we turned you into a believer in Social WellnessTM? If you're anxious to see how it all works, head on over to the Our Solution section to dive deeper.
Watch
ShapeUp Founder & CEO Dr. Rajiv Kumar shares how he learned about social wellnessTM.
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