Lung cancer was once an extremely rare disease in humans. So rare that doctors considered it a once-in-a-lifetime event to discover a case among their patients. Now, however, lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, accounting for 1.8 million deaths in 2020 alone. This is a stunning statistic on its own, but it becomes even more alarming when one considers that tobacco smoking causes 90% of lung cancer cases in men and 70-80% in women. We know the reason for this rapid increase in lung cancer cases, yet it’s still so challenging for many tobacco users to quit for good.

Health Benefits of Quitting

World No-Tobacco Day falls on the 31st of May every year since its inception in 1987. The World Health Organization(WHO) uses this day as an opportunity to share information on the “dangers of using tobacco,” as well as “the business practices of tobacco companies.” The good news is it’s never too late to quit smoking tobacco. The short article “Tobacco: Health benefits of smoking cessation” explains that just 20 minutes after a person’s last cigarette, their heart rate and blood pressure are both already dropping, and 12 hours after that last cigarette, carbon monoxide levels subside as well. One year after quitting, the risk of coronary heart disease is half that of an active tobacco smoker, and after 10 years, the same can be said of developing lung cancer.

Quitting tobacco, nicotine and smoking is a global mission.

Health and life insurers can have an outsized impact by simply offering clear, accessible health and wellness goals for the average policyholder.

Incentivizing a Tobacco-Free Lifestyle

According to the WHO’s own statistics, we know that “of the 1.3 billion tobacco users globally, 60% have expressed the desire to quit — but only 30% have access to the tools to help them do so successfully.” This begs the question; how can life and health insurance companies better help policyholders achieve the kinds of health goals that include kicking life-threatening habits such as smoking tobacco? This is where dacadoo’s Digital Health Engagement Platform(DHEP) comes into play.

Self-Control and Wheel of Life™

Our Wheel of Life™ engages policyholders by creating an engaging way to track their goals and habits digitally to better visualize their lifestyle habits. Wheel of Life™ boasts seven different sections to accurately assess a person’s holistic health, including a “Self-Control” section. In “Self-Control,” policyholders can track their drinking and smoking habits, which feeds into their dacadoo Health Score. By providing this information, users can see how their actions affect their holistic health in real-time, making them more accountable for their habits.

Our DHEP also offers policyholders actionable goals, tips, and advice on how to quit smoking successfully. Wheel of Life™ keeps users engaged and offers a sense of control over their life and health as they navigate the particular hurdles that come into play when quitting an addicting substance — like tobacco — for good.