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Individual- versus group-based financial incentives for weight loss: a randomized, controlled trial
Jeffrey T Kullgren1, Andrea B Troxel, George Loewenstein
1Veterans Affairs Center forClinical Management Research, Veterans Affairs Ann Arbor HealthcareSystem, Ann Arbor, MI 48113-0170, USA. jkullgre@med.umich.edu
Annals of Internal Medicine
|April 3, 2013
Summary
Employer financial incentives can promote employee weight loss. A group incentive program proved more effective than individual incentives for obese employees over 24 weeks.
Area of Science:
- Occupational Health
- Behavioral Economics
- Weight Management Interventions
Background:
- Limited data exists on the effectiveness of employer-sponsored financial incentives for employee weight loss.
- Obesity remains a significant public health concern, impacting workforce productivity and healthcare costs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of two distinct financial incentive designs in promoting weight loss among obese employees.
- To compare a group-based incentive structure against an individual-based incentive and a control group.
Main Methods:
- A randomized controlled trial involving 105 obese employees (BMI 30-40 kg/m2) at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
- Participants were assigned to a control group (monthly weigh-ins), an individual incentive group ($100/month for meeting goals), or a group incentive group ($500/month split among 5 participants meeting goals).
- Primary outcome was weight loss at 24 weeks, with secondary outcomes including weight loss at 36 weeks and changes in behavioral mediators.
Main Results:
- Group-incentive participants achieved significantly greater weight loss compared to both control and individual-incentive groups at 24 weeks (4.4 kg and 3.2 kg differences, respectively; P < 0.001 and P = 0.008).
- Weight loss maintenance was observed 12 weeks after incentives ceased, with group-incentive participants showing greater sustained loss than controls (2.9 kg difference; P = 0.016).
- While the group incentive showed sustained benefits over the control, the difference compared to the individual incentive was not statistically significant post-intervention.
Conclusions:
- A group-based financial incentive demonstrated superior effectiveness over individual incentives and standard weigh-ins for promoting weight loss in obese employees at the 24-week mark.
- The findings suggest that leveraging social dynamics within a group incentive structure can enhance weight loss outcomes.
- Further research with larger, diverse populations and longer follow-up periods is warranted to confirm these findings.
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