Our framework should help research ers and policy-makers identify the most effective incentive configurations for helping individuals adopt healthy behaviours
Financial incentive interventions are increasingly used as a method of encouraging healthy behaviours , from attending for vaccinations to taking part in regular physical activity .
There is a growing body of research on the effectiveness of financial incentive interventions for health behaviours .
Wide variations in the nature of these interventions make it difficult to draw firm conclusions about what makes an effective incentive , for whom and under what circumstances .
Whilst there has been some recognition of the theoretical complexity of financial incentive interventions for health behaviours , there is no framework that categorises these interventions .
This limits the research community 's ability to clearly establish which components of financial incentives interventions are more and less effective , and how these components might interact to enable behavioural change .
We propose a framework for describing health-promoting financial incentive interventions .
A systematic review of the use of financial incentives and penalties to encourage uptake of healthy behaviors: protocol
Background The use of financial incentives and penalties to encourage uptake of healthy behaviors is increasingly seen as a viable intervention in developed countries . Previous review s of the effectiveness of financial incentives and penalties for encouraging the uptake of healthy behaviors have focused on individual behaviors making it difficult to draw overall conclusions about the effectiveness of such interventions . This systematic review will explore the effectiveness of financial incentives and penalties for encouraging a wide range of behaviors , including : smoking cessation , increased physical activity , healthier dietary intake , sensible patterns of alcohol consumption , safe sun , safe sex , and primary preventive clinical behaviors . Methods Systematic methods will be used to search existing literature and screen studies for inclusion . All studies that meet the following inclusion criteria will be included in the review : participants were 18 years old or older and living in high-income countries ; interventions included cash or cash-like incentives to promote the uptake of healthy behaviors , or cash or cash-like penalties to discourage unhealthy behaviors ; the comparator was usual care or no intervention ; study design was r and omized controlled trial , cluster r and omized controlled trial , controlled before and after study , or interrupted time series analysis . Two review ers will independently screen the publications to ensure they meet the inclusion criteria . Quality will be assessed by two research ers , working independently , using the Cochrane risk of bias tool . Meta- analysis will be conducted , if appropriate . Any studies identified as at ‘ high risk of bias ’ will be excluded from meta- analysis . Discussion This systematic review will provide policy-relevant recommendations for the use of financial incentives and penalties as a method of encouraging uptake of healthy behaviors
Our framework should help research ers and policy-makers identify the most effective incentive configurations for helping individuals adopt healthy behaviours
Financial incentive interventions are increasingly used as a method of encouraging healthy behaviours , from attending for vaccinations to taking part in regular physical activity .
There is a growing body of research on the effectiveness of financial incentive interventions for health behaviours .
Wide variations in the nature of these interventions make it difficult to draw firm conclusions about what makes an effective incentive , for whom and under what circumstances .
Whilst there has been some recognition of the theoretical complexity of financial incentive interventions for health behaviours , there is no framework that categorises these interventions .
This limits the research community 's ability to clearly establish which components of financial incentives interventions are more and less effective , and how these components might interact to enable behavioural change .
We propose a framework for describing health-promoting financial incentive interventions .