Examining Ways to Improve Weight Control Programs' Population Reach and Representativeness: A Discrete Choice...

Area of Science:

• Obesity research
• Health behavior interventions
• Health disparities

Background:

• Financial incentives show promise for increasing engagement in evidence-based weight control programs.
• Optimal incentive design for maximizing reach and representativeness, especially among health disparity populations, remains understudied.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate subgroup preferences for financial incentive attributes in weight control programs.
• To determine how incentive design impacts participation rates across diverse populations.
• To identify cost-effective strategies for enhancing program reach and equity.

Main Methods:

• A discrete choice experiment with 1232 overweight/obese participants assessed preferences for reward amount, location, contingency, and payment.
• Mixed logit and conditional logit models analyzed attribute preferences.
• Nationally representative participation rates were predicted using National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data.

Main Results:

• Significant subgroup differences in preferences for incentive attributes were observed.
• Larger financial incentives negatively impacted participation among African Americans.
• Offering a menu of incentive designs increased reach more effectively than higher reward amounts.

Conclusions:

• Heterogeneity in preferences for financial incentives necessitates subgroup-targeted designs.
• Tailored incentive strategies are crucial for maximizing population reach in weight control programs.
• Customized incentives can help mitigate obesity-related health disparities.