Join us for the Pink October Challenge and help Garmin donate money for Breast Cancer Charities

By participating in the Pink October campaign, your movement will be converted into points to earn your chosen charity the highest percentage of the €100,000 Garmin donation pot to help combat the world’s most prevalent cancer.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and Garmin is donating a total of €100,000 across multiple European breast cancer charities.

This year, we’re participating in two different research efforts. First, Garmin European offices are partnering with ViMove to get smartwatch users moving and in doing so Garmin will donate. Second, Garmin Health is collaborating with the University of Thessaloniki on the REBECCA project, which is designed to research breast-cancer induced chronic conditions in 7 clinical studies in 3 countries (3 in Norway, 2 in Spain and 2 in Sweden). Read more about each effort below.

The Pink October Challenge – One Step at a Time

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and there are several ways you can show support. One is to wear pink — the brighter, the better. Another is to get moving.

Together with ViMove, a platform that won the 2021 Garmin Health Award for Most Innovative Solution in Engagement for its campaign to get users to exercise in exchange for trees planted on their behalf, Garmin European offices are rewarding users for exercise in the form of funds donated to breast cancer research. The premise is simple: Using your smartwatch, join the One Step at a Time challenge on the ViMove app and get moving. Running, cycling, swimming, walking — however you like to move, your activities will be converted into points to earn your chosen charity the highest percentage of the donation pot for breast cancer charities during the month of October.

Here’s how:

Step 1. Download the ViMove app and link the account you create to your Garmin Connect account.

Step 2:  Get moving. For every personal goal you complete — like a yoga exercise or even a short walk — your activity will contribute points to the breast cancer charity team that your country has chosen to partner with. Garmin has pledged a total of €100,000, but the goal is to boost your team’s average so that your team earns the most funds.¹ You can see which charity your country is supporting in your dashboard on the ViMove app. To learn how many points your favourite activity is worth, see the activity charts at the bottom of this blog post.²

Step 3: Share your participation on social media and get your family and friends to join in on the fun! You can share your achievements directly from the ViMove app, or post within your favourite social media app using the hashtag #GarminPink. There will also be opportunities to earn ViMove badges throughout the month.

The REBECCA Project

While Garmin users are getting those steps in to help fund research, our Garmin Health team is collaborating on a new multinational initiative on breast cancer research, coordinated by the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. REBECCA, or REsearch on BrEast Cancer-induced chronic conditions supported by Causal Analysis of multi-source data, is funded by the European Union Horizon’s 2020 research and innovation program (https://rebeccaproject.eu/). REBECCA will combine clinical data with Garmin smartwatch-informed insight describing patients’ real-life behaviour, including physical activities, eating habits, sleep and stress.

Thanks to Garmin smartwatches — specifically Garmin Vivosmart 4 and Garmin Venu® Sq— researchers will be able to define and implement a functional index regarding overall physical activity of breast cancer patients, helping to understand a patient’s overall health and well-being. The project, which will follow 650 breast cancer patients in Norway, Spain and Sweden, will kick off in October 2022 and last for 3 years.

Dr. Ioannis SARAFIS and Dr. Vasileios PAPAPANAGIOTOU, of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, said they chose Garmin technology to use for the project for three reasons: familiarity, battery life and data accuracy.

• For studies: Learn more about studies including Garmin devices on our GARMIN HEALTH THIRD-PARTY STUDIES OVERVIEW page.
• For medical topics: “Garmin smartwatches are not designed or intended to monitor or diagnose diseases or any medical conditions. Find information on metric accuracy here.”

What else can I do?

Check your breasts regularly. Performing self-exams can help you to detect breast cancer early, increasing your chances of treating it successfully. BreastCancer.org provides a helpful 5-step guide (with diagrams included) detailing how to self-examine your breasts, including what to look for when you are standing up, lying down and in the shower.

You can also take care of yourself in other ways. Physical activity, sleep and stress management are beneficial to your health for countless reasons, but many international studies show a correlation between all of these aspects and the prevention and/or survival rate of breast cancer. To get a better picture of how your body is performing, whether you’re concerned about your stress level, sleep quality or exercise regimen, putting on a Garmin smartwatch is a good place to start.

Participating Countries – 23 Countries

Activity List

Time Based

Distance Based

¹A minimum of €500 will be donated to every charity listed on the ViMove app.

²Participation is free of charge; no financial contribution is required.