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 .
Can Financial Incentives Help People Trying to Establish New Habits? Experimental Evidence with New Gym Members
We conducted a r and omized controlled trial testing the effect of modest incentives to attend the gym among new members of a fitness facility , a population that is already engaged in trying to change a health behavior . Our experiment r and omized 836 new members of a private gym into a control group , receiving a $ 30 payment unconditionally , or one of 3 incentive groups , receiving a payment if they attended the gym at least 9 times over their first 6 weeks as members . The incentives were a $ 30 payment , a $ 60 payment , and an item costing $ 30 that leveraged the endowment effect . These incentives had only moderate impacts on attendance during members ’ first 6 weeks and no effect on their subsequent visit trajectories . We document substantial overconfidence among new members about their likely visit rates and discuss how overconfidence may undermine the effectiveness of a modest incentive program
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 .