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 .
A Randomized Controlled Trial of Employer Matching of Employees’ Monetary Contributions to Deposit Contracts to Promote Weight Loss
Purpose : To test whether employer matching of employees ’ monetary contributions increases employees ’ ( 1 ) participation in deposit contracts to promote weight loss and ( 2 ) weight loss . Design : A 36-week r and omized trial . Setting : Large employer in the northeast United States . Participants : One hundred thirty-two obese employees . Interventions : Over 24 weeks , participants were asked to lose 24 pounds and r and omized to monthly weigh-ins or daily weigh-ins with monthly opportunities to deposit $ 1 to $ 3 per day that was not matched , matched 1:1 , or matched 2:1 . Deposits and matched funds were returned to participants for each day they were below their goal weight . Measures : Rates of making ≥1 deposit , weight loss at 24 weeks ( primary outcome ) , and 36 weeks . Analysis : Deposit rates were compared using χ2 tests . Weight loss was compared using t tests . Results : Among participants eligible to make deposits , 29 % made ≥1 deposit and matching did not increase participation . At 24 weeks , control participants gained an average of 1.0 pound , whereas 1:1 match participants lost an average of 5.3 pounds ( P = .005 ) . After 36 weeks , control participants gained an average of 2.1 pounds , whereas no match participants lost an average of 5.1 pounds ( P = .008 ) . Conclusion : Participation in deposit contracts to promote weight loss was low , and matching deposits did not increase participation . For deposit contracts to impact population health , ongoing participation will need to be higher
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 .