according to a survey by UnitedHealthcare.
More than half (54%) of the 1,006 respondents said that they didn’t need a financial incentive to get that much exercise, but 21% said that $1-$3 a day would be necessary and 19% said that they would need $4-$5 per day, the company said in its 2019 Wellness Checkup Survey.
Women were more likely than men to say that they needed an incentive (42% vs. 36%). Among age-related subgroups, there was a clear progression from youngest to oldest: The youngest age group (18-34 years, 47%) and youngest generation (Millennials, 46%) in the study were the most likely to require an incentive, while the oldest age group (65 years and older, 30%) and generation (Baby Boomers, 31%) were the least likely, UnitedHealthcare said.
A majority (57%) of respondents said that it was important – either very important (19%) or somewhat important (38%) – for a fitness routine to have a social component, either in-person or virtual. Almost two-thirds of respondents expressed support for wearable fitness-tracking devices: 42% would use one if it was provided by their employer, and 22% said that they already had one, the survey results show.
“This year employers are expected to invest an average of more than $3.6 million on their respective well-being programs, and over 60% of employees are interested in engaging in these initiatives. [This] survey provides insights that we hope can be helpful to enhance the design and implementation of well-being programs, which may help improve employees’ health, reduce absenteeism, and curb care costs,” Rebecca Madsen, UnitedHealthcare’s chief consumer officer, said in the company’s written statement.
The survey was conducted April 11-15, 2019, and the margin of error was plus or minus 3.1%.