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 .
Financial incentives for abstinence among socioeconomically disadvantaged individuals in smoking cessation treatment.
OBJECTIVES We evaluated the effectiveness of offering adjunctive financial incentives for abstinence ( contingency management [ CM ] ) within a safety net hospital smoking cessation program . METHODS We r and omized participants ( n = 146 ) from a Dallas County , Texas , Tobacco Cessation Clinic from 2011 to 2013 to usual care ( UC ; cessation program ; n = 71 ) or CM ( UC + 4 weeks of financial incentives ; n = 75 ) , and followed from 1 week before the quit date through 4 weeks after the quit date . A subset ( n = 128 ) was asked to attend a visit 12 weeks after the scheduled quit date . RESULTS Participants were primarily Black ( 62.3 % ) or White ( 28.1 % ) and female ( 57.5 % ) . Most participants were uninsured ( 52.1 % ) and had an annual household income of less than $ 12 000 ( 55.5 % ) . Abstinence rates were significantly higher for those assigned to CM than UC at all visits following the quit date ( all Ps < .05 ) . Point prevalence abstinence rates in the CM and UC groups were 49.3 % versus 25.4 % at 4 weeks after the quit date and 32.8 % versus 14.1 % at 12 weeks after the quit date . CM participants earned an average of $ 63.40 ( $ 150 possible ) for abstinence during the first 4 weeks after the scheduled quit date . CONCLUSIONS Offering small financial incentives for abstinence might be an effective means to improve abstinence rates among socioeconomically disadvantaged individuals participating in smoking cessation treatment
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 .