Financial Incentive-Based Approaches for Weight Loss.

The article presents a randomized controlled trial which evaluated whether the use of financial incentives is an effective weight loss intervention and treatment for obesity. Participants were between 30 and 70 years old with a body mass index of 30 to 40. They were randomly assigned to monthly weigh-ins, a lottery incentive program, or a deposit contract program which allowed for participant matching. Their weight loss goal was one pound a week for 16 weeks. The main outcome was weight loss after 16 weeks. The incentive groups lost a mean of 3.9 pounds more weight than the control group. Researchers concluded that economic incentives produced significant weight loss during the 16 weeks period that was not fully sustained. They recommend an evaluation of a longer-term use of incentives.