Marvin OnumonuA workplace trial in the UK found that using a gamified health app led to a 70% improvement in chronic pain and a 20% drop in long-term health risk.
The study, run by YuLife with Broadstone and the University of Essex, compared the app with a standard workplace wellbeing scheme.
Staff using the gamified platform reported a 70% improvement in chronic pain symptoms, compared to 38% in the control group.
High-stress days fell by 14% for the gamified group and 7% for the control.
After six months, the gamified group saw a 40% improvement in body mass index (BMI), while the control group saw a 25% improvement.
Long-term health risk dropped by 20% among those using the app, compared to 15% for those on the traditional scheme.
Brett Hill, head of health & protection at Broadstone, said: “This is no longer just a theory, we now have hard evidence that gamification delivers real-world health outcomes.
“Where traditional workforce wellness schemes can stall, gamification is sustaining engagement, reducing pain, lowering stress, and directly improving workforce performance. Innovative programmes that secure the health of the workforce are vital to ensuring business productivity, economic growth as well as employee attraction and retention.”
John Ronayne, lead data scientist at YuLife, said: “This goes beyond tracking steps, we’re modelling genuine health risk reduction using validated UK Biobank data.
“For employers, this isn’t just a wellbeing tool, it’s a scalable strategy for lowering claims, reducing absence, and improving population health.”
