Heart & Stroke’s Blood Pressure Management Program Heading to British Columbia and Saskatchewan.
TORONTO, January 17, 2020 – Interac Corp. and the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada are collaborating on a campaign which offers an incentive to eligible people in Canada who enroll in Activate, a six-month blood pressure management program. This program has already had success in Ontario in helping people eat better, move more and manage stress; now it’s expanding to other locations in Canada, including Vancouver and Saskatoon.
Without intervention, as many as half of those with pre-hypertension may develop high blood pressure within five years1. Heart conditions, stroke and vascular cognitive impairment take the lives of more than 95,000 people in Canada every year, one every five minutes2.
Over the course of the campaign, people who successfully enroll in the Activate program will be eligible to receive a monetary incentive through Interac e-Transfer which can be deposited directly into their bank accounts.
This campaign builds on a previous program Interac launched with Alectra Utilities, whereby select utility customers received monetary incentives through Interac e-Transfer for taking energy efficient actions.
Both pilot programs use blockchain technology to link and connect the participating organizations, enabling secure transfer of information to generate incentives for Canadians.
“At Interac, we’ve been actively exploring how we can leverage emerging technologies and our platforms, in combination with other organizations, to promote positive and impactful change,” said Oscar Roque, AVP of Innovation, Research & Emerging Solutions at Interac Corp. “This collaboration with Heart & Stroke will support goals including managing blood pressure for people in Canada who are at high risk and is a continuation of the work Interac has been doing to accelerate its innovation agenda with social purpose.”
To be eligible to participate in the Activate program and to receive the $10 incentive via Interac e-Transfer, participants must be 40 years old or over, cannot be on any blood pressure medication, and be pre-hypertensive (which means in the “high-normal” range of blood pressure, 121-139 systolic, or if living with diabetes, 121-129 systolic). Additional terms and conditions may apply. In order to qualify, people are invited to book an appointment to get their blood pressure measured by a trained Heart & Stroke volunteer.
This campaign is also reflective of research showing a link between incentives and positive health behaviour. A study in the American Journal of Health Promotion found that participation in health risk assessments rose with an increasing incentive value3.
“We are delighted to join forces with Interac to reward people in Canada taking the first step towards managing blood pressure,” said Erin Kim, Director Strategic Initiatives and Activate Lead, Heart & Stroke. “During the first year of Activate, we saw a decrease in participant’s blood pressure, which means they lowered their risk of stroke and heart disease. We look forward to seeing continued success of the Activate program and helping more people in Canada take steps towards better health.”
For more information on the Activate program, and to learn how to participate, visit heartandstroke.ca/activate.
About Interac Corp.
Interac Corp. operates an economical, world-class debit payments system with broad-based acceptance, reliability, security, and efficiency. The organization is one of Canada’s leading payments brands and is chosen an average of 16 million times daily to pay and exchange money. For more than 30 years, Interac Corp. and its predecessors, Interac Association and Acxsys Corporation, have facilitated secure financial transactions through the development of innovative and convenient debit and money transfer solutions. A leader in the prevention and detection of fraud, the organization has one of the lowest rates of fraud globally. Visit newsroom.interac.ca or follow @INTERAC on Twitter. Interac Corp. has a diverse group of shareholders that includes banks, credit unions, caisses populaires, payment processors and merchants.
About Heart & Stroke
Life. We don’t want you to miss it. That’s why Heart & Stroke leads the fight against heart disease and stroke. We must generate the next medical breakthroughs, so people in Canada don’t miss out on precious moments. Together, we are working to prevent disease, save lives and promote recovery through research, health promotion and public policy.
Media Contact:
Interac Corp.
416-869-2017
media@Interac.ca
Heart & Stroke
416-489-7111 ext. 24806
joshua.terry@heartandstroke.ca
1Kanegae H, Oikawa T, Kario K. Should Pre-hypertension Be Treated? Curr Hypertens Rep. 2017;19(11):91. doi:10.1007/s11906-017-0789-z
2Statistics Canada: 2017 CANSIM Tables: 13-10-0147-01; 13-10-0143-01; 13-10-0145-01; 13-10-0146-01; 13-10-0154-01; 13-10-0155-01.
3Seaverson ELD et al. Am J Health Promot. 2009;23(5):343-352. doi:10.4278/ajhp.08041134
