New NHS proposals could see families receive discounts of their weekly supermarket bill if they hit exercise “step targets”.
Outdoor public gyms and free bikes have also been put forward as ideas in order to tackle obesity and reward those who make an effort to stay healthy.
The head of the health service has said that these schemes, which are set to be piloted in new towns across the country, will create a “design for life” and persuade people young and old to be more active.
The proposals will see people rewarded for meeting weekly targets, with these rewards including free cinema tickets, discounted gym memberships and discounts on groceries and sports equipment.
Housing developers will also be requested to provide free bikes with new homes, as the scheme plans to “cut car use and promote cycling”.
These ideas come as part of an NHS policy to create 10 “Healthy New Towns” in which active living will be fervently encouraged.
Health officials will also be looking at schemes led by health insurers, which reward customers with 25 per cent off their weekly Ocado shop if monthly targets are met.
Mr Stevens said: “If there’s to be a much-needed wave of new housebuilding across England, let’s “design-in” health from the start.”
“Everyone wins where children can walk to school and play safely outside. Everyone benefits when people can easily walk to a nearby shop and where neighbours can get to know and look out for each other,” he said.
Currently, one in five children are overweight when they start primary school, with this figure rising to one in three by the time they leave. Mr Stevens has said that smarter planning of towns and cities would “design-out” childhood obesity.
The programme currently has a number of sites signed up, with these sites covering over 76,000 homes in England. All of these sites are currently working on plans to encourage healthy lifestyles and improving healthcare access.
Health and fitness experts welcomed the ideas. Steven Ward, chief executive of Ukactive aid: “The old approach to healthcare has left Britain lurching into a physical inactivity crisis which threatens to bankrupt the NHS.
“Modern living has stripped movement out of our daily lives, so it’s time to rip up the rulebook for town planning and embrace innovative solutions to get people back on their feet.”
Tam Fry, from the National Obesity Forum, said: “If this works, it can be a win-win situation.”
“The incentive can bring in more business for firms taking part and motivate people to be healthier,” he said, suggesting that the cost of buying a bike for each home was “peanuts” for housing developers.
