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 .
Effects of a personal trainer and financial incentives on exercise adherence in overweight women in a behavioral weight loss program.
Exercise is important for long-term weight loss , but few studies have examined ways to improve exercise adherence in overweight subjects participating in a behavioral weight loss program . This paper presents two studies , one conducted at the University of Pittsburgh and one at the University of Minnesota , that sought to improve exercise adherence by exerting more direct control over the environmental antecedents and consequences controlling exercise . Study 1 investigated the use of a personal trainer who called participants regularly and met them at their home or office at scheduled times for a walk . Study 2 investigated the effect of a lottery incentive for exercise adherence . In both studies , the effect of these manipulations was examined in the context of a 24-week st and ard behavioral weight control program with three supervised exercise sessions per week . Neither intervention achieved statistically significant improvements in exercise adherence compared to control conditions , perhaps due in part to the limited statistical power of the studies . Future studies should focus on better underst and ing the barriers to exercise and design ing behavioral interventions that address these barriers
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 .