Our primary conclusion is that there is a lack of compelling evidence that incentives of any form represent a compelling NCD reduction strategy .
The rising epidemic of non-communicable diseases ( NCDs ) poses substantial health and economic challenges to both individuals and society .
Application of incentive-based strategies based on traditional and behavioural economic theory has emerged as a potential strategy to address rising rates of NCDs .
Yet , whether or not incentives truly represent a promising strategy for addressing NCDs has not been systematic ally addressed nor is it clear whether certain behavioural economic strategies outperform others or simply offering a cash-based incentive for meeting a goal .
In this systematic review we aim to determine whether there is an evidence base for any of these strategies .
Effectiveness of Financial Incentives in a Worksite Diabetes Prevention Program
Purpose To evaluate the effect of financial incentive in a diabetes prevention weight loss program at worksites . Design Group-level r and omized intervention study . Setting Four long-term care facilities , r and omly assigned to “ incentive-IG ” or “ non incentive-NIG ” groups . Participants Ninety-nine employees , all overweight or obese ( BMI = mean 34.8±7.4 kg/m2 ) and at risk for type 2 diabetes . Intervention A 16 week weight loss program ( diabetes prevention program ) with a 3 month follow up . IG could either choose a " st and ard incentive " to receive cash award when achieving the projected weight loss or to participate in a " st and ard plus deposit incentive " to get additional money matched with their deposit for projected weight loss . All of the participants received a one-hour consultation for a healthy weight loss at the beginning . Measures Weight-loss , diabetes risk score ( DRS ) , and cardiovascular risk outcomes . Analyses Linear and logistic regressions for completed cases with adjustments for clustering effect at group level . Results IG lost on average more pounds ( p=0.027 ) , reduced BMI ( p=0.04 ) , and reduced in DRS ( p=0.011 ) compared to NIG at week 16 . At the 12-week follow-up period , those in IG plus deposit subgroup had twice the odds ( OR=2.2 , p=0.042 ) and those in the st and ard IG had three times the odds of achieving weight loss goals than NIG ; those in the IG plus deposit group reduced DRS by 0.4 ( p=0.045 ) . Conclusion Monetary incentives appear to be effective in reducing weight and diabetes risk
Our primary conclusion is that there is a lack of compelling evidence that incentives of any form represent a compelling NCD reduction strategy .
The rising epidemic of non-communicable diseases ( NCDs ) poses substantial health and economic challenges to both individuals and society .
Application of incentive-based strategies based on traditional and behavioural economic theory has emerged as a potential strategy to address rising rates of NCDs .
Yet , whether or not incentives truly represent a promising strategy for addressing NCDs has not been systematic ally addressed nor is it clear whether certain behavioural economic strategies outperform others or simply offering a cash-based incentive for meeting a goal .
In this systematic review we aim to determine whether there is an evidence base for any of these strategies .