Our framework should help research ers and policy-makers identify the most effective incentive configurations for helping individuals adopt healthy behaviours
Financial incentive interventions are increasingly used as a method of encouraging healthy behaviours , from attending for vaccinations to taking part in regular physical activity .
There is a growing body of research on the effectiveness of financial incentive interventions for health behaviours .
Wide variations in the nature of these interventions make it difficult to draw firm conclusions about what makes an effective incentive , for whom and under what circumstances .
Whilst there has been some recognition of the theoretical complexity of financial incentive interventions for health behaviours , there is no framework that categorises these interventions .
This limits the research community 's ability to clearly establish which components of financial incentives interventions are more and less effective , and how these components might interact to enable behavioural change .
We propose a framework for describing health-promoting financial incentive interventions .
Improving influenza vaccination rates in the workplace: a randomized trial.
BACKGROUND To minimize absenteeism result ing from influenza , employers frequently offer on-site  influenza vaccination to employees . Yet the level of uptake of vaccine is low among working adults . This study was design ed to increase workplace influenza vaccination rates by offering both a choice of intranasal ( LAIV ) and injectable ( TIV ) influenza vaccines to eligible employees , and an incentive for being vaccinated , and by increasing awareness of the vaccine clinic . DESIGN This study used a stratified r and omized cluster trial . SETTING / PARTICIPANTS A total of 12,222 employees in 53 U.S. companies with previous influenza vaccine clinics were examined . INTERVENTIONS Control sites advertised and offered vaccine clinics as previously done . Choice sites offered LAIV or TIV and maintained their previous advertising level but promoted the choice of vaccines . Choice Plus sites increased advertising and promoted and offered a choice of vaccines and a nominal incentive . MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES These included vaccination rates among eligible employees . Hierarchic linear modeling ( HLM ) was used to determine factors associated with vaccination . RESULTS The overall vaccination rate increased from 39 % in 2007 - 2008 to 46 % in 2008 - 2009 ( p<0.001 ) . The difference in vaccination rates for LAIV was 6.5 % for Choice versus Control and 9.9 % for Choice Plus versus Control ( both p<0.001 ) . Rates of TIV increased by 15.9 percentage points in the Choice Plus arm versus Control for workers aged > or = 50 years ( p=0.024 ) . Rates of TIV did not change in workers aged 18 - 49 years in either intervention arm or in workers aged > or = 50 years in the Choice arm . In HLM analyses , factors significantly associated with increased vaccination were older age , female gender , previous company vaccination rate , and the Choice Plus intervention . CONCLUSIONS An incentive for vaccination , an intensified advertising campaign , and offering a choice of influenza vaccines improved vaccination rates in the workplace
Our framework should help research ers and policy-makers identify the most effective incentive configurations for helping individuals adopt healthy behaviours
Financial incentive interventions are increasingly used as a method of encouraging healthy behaviours , from attending for vaccinations to taking part in regular physical activity .
There is a growing body of research on the effectiveness of financial incentive interventions for health behaviours .
Wide variations in the nature of these interventions make it difficult to draw firm conclusions about what makes an effective incentive , for whom and under what circumstances .
Whilst there has been some recognition of the theoretical complexity of financial incentive interventions for health behaviours , there is no framework that categorises these interventions .
This limits the research community 's ability to clearly establish which components of financial incentives interventions are more and less effective , and how these components might interact to enable behavioural change .
We propose a framework for describing health-promoting financial incentive interventions .