Fitness brand Fitbit Inc announced that it has signed a contract with the Singapore government to provide fitness trackers and services to up to one million of the country’s citizens as part of a massive health initiative.
“This is Fitbit’s first major integration of a digital health platform and wearables into a national public health program globally,” the company said.
The deal is a boost for the San Francisco-based wearables pioneer, which has seen its shares sink in the past two years in the face of competition from Apple, Samsung Electronics and a raft of cheaper rivals. Shares of Fitbit climbed about 3% in midday New York Stock Exchange trading after the announcement.
The provisions of the deal include the company supplying free trackers with users locked into spending SGD 10 per month for a year as subscription fees.
Singapore has the longest life expectancy in the world and widespread access to healthcare. However, the government has raised concerns about the increasing rates of heart disease and diabetes among its fast-ageing population.
Subscribers will get access to personalised health advice and prompts through the devices, and it will encourage physical activity, healthy eating and better sleep quality among users, said Zee Yoong Kang, chief executive of Singapore’s Health Promotion Board (HPB).
Fitbit said the programme includes a consent process to indicate whether the users agree to share their data with HPB. The data insights will be used for more health promotion programs by HPB in the country, the company said.
