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Objective: The objective was to examine the effect of offering a reimbursement incentive on the percentage of inquirers who enrolled in a weight control program and on weight loss and program attendance among enrollees.Research Methods and Procedures: We used a sequential control-intervention design to observe how inquirers of the University of Alabama at Birmingham EatRight Lifestyle Program responded to an enrollment incentive for potential 50% ($150) reimbursement of the total program fee if they attended 10 of 12 classes and lost at least 6% of their current body weight. Inquirers had to be adults with a BMI >or=30 kg/m(2), seeking information about a weight control program, and informed of the program cost. Outcomes included proportion of inquirers enrolled, overall number of classes attended, and weight loss.Results: Of the 401 people who inquired during the study periods, 24.5% and 25.0% enrolled in the intervention and control periods, respectively. There was a trend toward higher attendance in the intervention group, compared with the control group; there were no differences in percentage of weight loss. The odds of attending >or=10 classes were 2.4 times as high, and both losing >6% body weight and attending >or=10 classes were three times as high in the intervention subjects compared with controls, although non-significant.Discussion: The potential of earning a performance-based reimbursement incentive did not affect enrollment in the EatRight Lifestyle Program. Performance-based incentives may be an ideal mechanism for extending coverage of weight-loss interventions by insurers because of limited financial risk and improved adherence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Fruit and vegetable cost may influence consumption. Because the contextual environment influences food outlet type and availability, we wanted to determine whether neighborhood demographics were associated with prices of fruits and vegetables., Methods: We surveyed 44 grocery stores in the Birmingham, Alabama, metropolitan area to determine prices of 20 fruits and vegetables. Stores were geocoded and linked to the corresponding Census 2000 block group to obtain data for the independent variables - percentage African American, percentage with at least a high school diploma, and percentage of households below the poverty level. We conducted multiple linear regressions to estimate these predictors for each fruit and vegetable's mean price per serving during 2 seasons (fall/winter 2004, spring/summer 2005)., Results: In the fall, we found no significant relationships between the predictors and prices of any fruits and vegetables in the survey. In the spring, the percentage who had at least a high school diploma was a predictor of price per serving for potatoes (beta = 0.001, P = .046)., Conclusion: Neighborhood demographics have little consistent influence on fruit and vegetable prices in Birmingham, Alabama, which may be a function of grocery store density, transportation patterns, and shopping patterns. The regional setting of the food environment has implications for food availability, variety, and price.