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Individual Versus Team-Based Financial Incentives to Increase Physical Activity: A Randomized, Controlled Trial
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Individual Versus Team-Based Financial Incentives to Increase Physical Activity: A Randomized, Controlled Trial

Mitesh S Patel, David A Asch, Roy Rosin, Dylan S Small, Scarlett L Bellamy, Kimberly Eberbach, Karen J Walters, Nancy Haff, Samantha M Lee, Lisa Wesby, …
Journal of general internal medicine : JGIM, v 31(7), pp 746-754
Jul 2016
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-016-3627-0
PMID: 26976287
Featured in Collection :   UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
url
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-016-3627-0View
Published, Version of Record (VoR)Maybe Open Access (Publisher Bronze),  Open

Abstract

Adult Exercise - psychology Female Health Promotion - economics Humans Male Middle Aged Motivation Reward Walking - psychology Weight Loss
More than half of adults in the United States do not attain the minimum recommended level of physical activity to achieve health benefits. The optimal design of financial incentives to promote physical activity is unknown. To compare the effectiveness of individual versus team-based financial incentives to increase physical activity. Randomized, controlled trial comparing three interventions to control. Three hundred and four adult employees from an organization in Philadelphia formed 76 four-member teams. All participants received daily feedback on performance towards achieving a daily 7000 step goal during the intervention (weeks 1- 13) and follow-up (weeks 14- 26) periods. The control arm received no other intervention. In the three financial incentive arms, drawings were held in which one team was selected as the winner every other day during the 13-week intervention. A participant on a winning team was eligible as follows: $50 if he or she met the goal (individual incentive), $50 only if all four team members met the goal (team incentive), or $20 if he or she met the goal individually and $10 more for each of three teammates that also met the goal (combined incentive). Mean proportion of participant-days achieving the 7000 step goal during the intervention. Compared to the control group during the intervention period, the mean proportion achieving the 7000 step goal was significantly greater for the combined incentive (0.35 vs. 0.18, difference: 0.17, 95 % confidence interval [CI]: 0.07-0.28, p <0.001) but not for the individual incentive (0.25 vs 0.18, difference: 0.08, 95 % CI: -0.02-0.18, p = 0.13) or the team incentive (0.17 vs 0.18, difference: -0.003, 95 % CI: -0.11-0.10, p = 0.96). The combined incentive arm participants also achieved the goal at significantly greater rates than the team incentive (0.35 vs. 0.17, difference: 0.18, 95 % CI: 0.08-0.28, p < 0.001), but not the individual incentive (0.35 vs. 0.25, difference: 0.10, 95 % CI: -0.001-0.19, p = 0.05). Only the combined incentive had greater mean daily steps than control (difference: 1446, 95 % CI: 448-2444, p ≤ 0.005). There were no significant differences between arms during the follow-up period (weeks 14- 26). Financial incentives rewarded for a combination of individual and team performance were most effective for increasing physical activity. Clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT02001194.

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107 citations in Web of Science
114 citations in Scopus

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UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

This publication has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:

#3 Good Health and Well-Being

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Health Care Sciences & Services
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