GOQii’s Vishal Gondal: Break the system of ill-health and incentivise health

Close to 60 per cent women fell into the “unhealthy” category, says GOQii India Fit Report (2024), underlining the need for targeted interventions for women.

Vishal Gondal, GOQii Founder and Chief Executive, says that women are often seen caring for other’s health and not their own. And this gets compounded with conditions like PCOS, Thyroid etc, he adds. About 16 per cent of the women were also found to be obese.

Unlike a survey, this report is based on data from its 6 million users, points out Gondal, calling for greater incentivisation of health. Speaking to businessline, he cites the example of their “health score” – that health insurers are able to rely on to give an individual a lower premium, for instance, on a better score. The score is derived from self-reported lifestyle data on the GOQii platform. It works like a CIBIL score that reflects the credit-worthiness of an individual.

The findings record no respite from lifestyle illnesses. Over the last three years diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and thyroid have been the four common lifestyle diseases, the report said, echoing findings from others in healthcare. Gondal further points to the impact of lifestyle ailments on the ageing population - “grappling predominantly with cognitive issues, high blood pressure, diabetes and cholesterol.”

Circle of ill-health

Despite the report showing some indication of people taking care of their health, increasing their activity, for example, Gondal observes there is a systemic problem that perpetuates ill-health. He points to the mobileapps that get people to order unhealthy foods, right at their doorsteps, while others keep people glued to their screens, without outdoor activity.

He also points to enabling infrastructure that could improve or hinder lifestyle. Cities like Surat and Jaipur are seen to have a higher percentage of people with healthy lifestyles, at over 60 per cent he said.

Patna (55 per cent), Kolkata (53 per cent), Lucknow and Bhopal at 51 per cent and 50 per cent of their population being unhealthy, compared to other cities, the report added.

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