1. A pilot study testing the effect of different levels of financial incentives on weight loss among overweight employees.
- Author
-
Finkelstein EA, Linnan LA, Tate DF, and Birken BE
- Subjects
- Adult, Clinical Protocols, Female, Health Promotion methods, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Pilot Projects, Prevalence, Time Factors, Workplace, Health Promotion economics, Overweight economics, Reward, Weight Loss
- Abstract
Objective: To test the ability of two levels of modest financial incentives to encourage weight loss among overweight employees., Methods: This study used a randomized design with measurements at baseline, 3, and 6 months and two levels of financial incentives ($7 and $14 per percentage point of weight lost). Payments were structured so that all participants had equal ability to obtain the incentives during the study period., Results: At 3 months, participants with no financial incentive lost 2 pounds, those in the $7 group lost approximately 3 pounds, and those in the $14 group lost 4.7 pounds. Between baseline and 6 months, when the financial gains were equalized, weight losses were similar across groups., Conclusion: This study revealed that modest financial incentives can be effective in motivating overweight employees to lose weight.
- Published
- 2007
- Full Text
- View/download PDF