If you look around you on the street, on the train, or during the lunch break at the office, you will see a familiar picture: People hunched over their smartphone screens. But in recent weeks, people are not using their smartphones just to scroll through Instagram or TikTok – but to check how many steps they are missing until they reach the top of the step leaderboard.
This competitive step challenge is much more than a passing trend, rather it is part of a real social phenomenon that is changing the face of health in Israel and around the world. They call this phenomenon "gamification" (mish'chuk, in pure Hebrew), and when it comes to being an integral part of a healthy lifestyle, it sweeps up more and more people.
Around the world, people use apps like StepsApp or StepUp and compete with their spouse or with friends from work – who will finish the day with the highest number of steps. People are so into it, that sometimes they will go out for walks late at night just to bypass their colleagues in the new health game that has conquered the world.
But how much does this phenomenon really affect the health of the trend participants? At Clalit, they decided to examine the matter in depth and conducted a study among users of the HMO's +active app, which is operated by the movement group with hundreds of thousands of users and with over 100,000 walking and competition groups, who walked together no less than 453 billion steps just since the beginning of 2026. The walkers not only improve their health but also enjoy benefits in the form of "health coins". Every month, over 50,000 benefits from the healthy lifestyle worlds are awarded in exchange for these coins to users who meet the personal goals set for them by the app – ranging from daily steps to improving sleep quality, drinking water, and more.
The researchers were amazed by the effect of the steps trend on health
So how does all this fun translate into better health? In a first-of-its-kind study conducted by Clalit among the app's users, it was found that maintaining moderate to vigorous physical activity over time significantly reduces the risk of contracting chronic diseases. This is the first time that a direct link between the level of physical activity and medical indicators and the reduction of risk for chronic diseases has been measured in such a comprehensive way – not just according to self-reporting or surveys, but based on objective data collected among the app's users.
The researchers analyzed data of about 600,000 users of Clalit's app over time. The results amazed even the most optimistic: Compared to a control group that did not use digital gamification tools, the active users presented:
• An 18% decrease in the risk of developing type 2 diabetes
• A 5% decrease in cardiovascular diseases
• A 9% drop in the risk of stroke
The message was clear: A combination of digital incentives and goal setting leads people to make healthier decisions and persist with them over time.
"We are in the midst of an approach change in the healthcare system, moving from reactive medicine to proactive and preventive medicine when technology helps harness the public to managing a healthy lifestyle," says Dr. Eyal Jacobson, the Medical Director of Clalit Mushlam, to Walla Health. "It allows us to meet the person, also in their personal life, to know their habits, not only when they arrive at the doctor's room when there is a medical problem. Through the app, we meet them in their daily lives on the way to work, walking the dog, or in the evening in front of the TV, in their reports on the number of hours of sleep or in sharing their nutrition habits.
"When you create an encouraging, competitive, and rewarding environment for people, they make healthier decisions, and beyond the health benefit – they are also rewarded for it through a variety of benefits for maintaining a healthy lifestyle. This is not just a game, but a platform that can save lives and improve them."
The economic significance: A savings of billions
These health improvements have a clear price tag, and it is dramatically positive. The data show that the investment in preventive medicine and encouragement of a healthy lifestyle through incentives and digital tools translates into a significant economic savings, both for the private individual and for the state. The combination of data, behavioral psychology, and incentives proves that changing habits is possible.
When we run to achieve another 500 steps to pass the friend from the office on the table, we might think about first place, but our health profits much more than that. The real victory is, of course, not the digital medal at the end of the day, but the healthy years we gained in the bosom of family and friends.