HakiPensheni

AAR online platform promotes healthy living

 

AAR Insurance managing director Caroline Munene (R) gets her vitals checked by an AAR nurse as CEO Geoffrey Nzau looks on. PHOTO | FILE  

By SARAH OOKO

In Summary

• AAR recently launched an online platform known as AAR Insurance Proactive Age which enables policy holders and the public to ascertain their health status by determining their medical age calculated on the basis of a person’s physical and mental condition.

Mary Kimani, 35, suffers from chronic hypertension and diabetes. Before she was diagnosed with the illnesses five years ago, Ms Kimani lived on the edge.

“I smoked about 10 cigarettes a day and consumed a lot of alcohol. It seemed like fun then,” she said. Ms Kimani was also a regular customer at popular fast food joints in Nairobi where her favourite meals included French fries, hamburgers, grilled chicken and hot dogs.

Her happy-go-lucky lifestyle seemed fine until 2010 when she began suffering from chronic fatigue which persisted even after having long hours of sleep.

“This got me worried and made me rush to the hospital – a place I hadn’t visited in ages,” she said.

Doctors performed various tests before eventually dropping the bombshell; she suffered from hypertension and diabetes. “At first I thought I was dreaming. It was hard to believe that at only 30 I was already suffering from chronic diseases.”

Unhealthy lifestyles

This is the fate that is fast befalling many Kenyans as they adopt unhealthy lifestyles at an alarming rate. Most people may be aware of risks associated with unhealthy habits but they choose to ignore expert advice until it is too late.

“I knew that my life was reckless but I thought I was safe as I was still young,” said Ms Kimani, admitting that she was now paying for her reckless lifestyle.

The Ministry of Health attributes the rapid rise in non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular illnesses — which are exerting immense pressure on the country’s finances — to such carefree attitudes.

Medical insurance companies are often forced to offset huge medical bills even as they struggle to sustain their profit margins because of unhealthy habits.

“We can’t continue like this because at some point the cost will be too much for us to bear. And if we keep increasing our premiums many Kenyan will not be able to afford insurance covers,” said Caroline Munene, Managing Director of AAR Insurance Company.

To address this challenge, the company recently launched an online platform known as AAR Insurance Proactive Age which enables policy holders and the public to ascertain their health status by determining their medical age calculated on the basis of a person’s physical and mental condition.

Even though one’s real age is determined by their date of birth, risky lifestyles destroy the body making one appear or feel older than they are. Thus, a person aged 40 may have a medical age of 70 or 20 depending on how healthy or unhealthy their lifestyles are.

“You need to be concerned about your health and make appropriate changes if your medical age is higher than your real age,” Ms Munene said.

The online tool, she said, is aimed at encouraging people to actively take charge of their lives and avert a myriad of illnesses including NCDs. By improving people’s heath, the tool will in the long run also benefit the company by reducing the amount of medical claims settled. The platform was launched together with a new insurance product, AAR Proactive, which will see policy holders receive over 50 per cent of premiums paid after three years if they do not use their cover.

As soon as users log onto the AAR Insurance Proactive Age platform the system prompts them to provide their personal details such as name, age, gender, height, weight and date of birth.

They then get a message informing them of subsequent questions to expect, urging them to be honest in their responses so as to get accurate results. This communication comes in bits, akin to online chat messages. The web platform has a personal touch, making people feel like they are talking to a friend.

The portal asks users various questions touching on numerous health issues, eventually indicating one’s general health status.
Multiple choice answers are provided to enable users to easily navigate the system and offer responses which reflect their lifestyle choices.

The ‘‘Online Doctor’’ seeks to ascertain the health of clients by first determining the quantity of alcohol they consume or cigarettes they smoke.

Tobacco and alcohol abuse are risk factors for a number of chronic ailments including cancer, lung diseases and cardiovascular conditions. The two are also associated with the risk of developing addiction, mental problems and behavioural disorders.

The online tool further seeks to find out whether its users take enough water, exercise and sleep well. On average, adults need about eight hours of sleep and an intake of at least two litres of water daily.

Physical exercises

The World Health Organisation recommends physical exercises of about 150 minutes weekly.

Aside from information about underlying health conditions that users may have, the online platform also queries one’s eating habits to further get a glimpse into their health status.

For instance, it asks if fruits and vegetables comprise a huge portion of one’s diet. These foods are rich in essential vitamins, nutrients and minerals which boost immunity hence offer protection against a myriad of ailments.

At the end of the free medical check-up the system uses the information provided to calculate one’s medical age. But before the results are displayed on the screen users are requested to provide their contact details.

They will then receive a brief health report through their emails. In addition, health experts from AAR also follow up with healthy living tips.

“I am only 22 and yet the system gave me a medical age of 40. This means I am young but my lifestyle is not good for my health,” said a University of Nairobi student who has interacted with the online tool.

She has since begun a lifestyle change programme to avoid ending up in a situation such as Ms Kimani’s. The platform can be used periodically to enable Kenyans keep track of their health status.