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Small Monetary Incentives Lead to Greater Adherence in a Weight Loss Program
Armaan Shetty1, Qiuyu Yang1, Jane Pendergast2
1Department of Surgery, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA.
American Journal of Health Promotion : AJHP
|November 9, 2023
Summary
Monetary incentives for dietary tracking or weight loss improved adherence to those specific behaviors in a weight loss program. Incentives did not increase adherence to non-incentivized behaviors.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral science
- Obesity research
- Health economics
Background:
- Behavioral interventions are key for weight loss.
- Adherence to self-monitoring (diet, weight) and class attendance are crucial for success.
- Monetary incentives are being explored to improve adherence.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the impact of weekly monetary incentives on adherence to dietary tracking and weight loss behaviors.
- To determine if incentives for one behavior influence adherence to other non-incentivized behaviors.
Main Methods:
- Secondary analysis of a 24-week behavioral weight loss intervention with 91 adults with obesity.
- Participants were randomized into four groups: incentives for tracking, weight loss, both, or neither.
- Adherence was measured by self-weighing frequency, dietary log completion, and class attendance.
Main Results:
- Incentives for dietary tracking significantly increased adherence duration (15.8 weeks vs. 5.9 weeks, P < .01).
- Incentives for weight loss also improved adherence to self-weighing (18.0 weeks vs. 13.5 weeks, P = .02).
- No significant difference in class attendance was observed across groups.
Conclusions:
- Targeted monetary incentives effectively enhance adherence to specific weight loss behaviors like dietary tracking and self-weighing.
- Incentives do not appear to have a spillover effect on adherence to non-incentivized behaviors, such as class attendance.
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