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 .
Who responds to financial incentives for weight loss? Evidence from a randomized controlled trial.
There is a paucity of evidence on the heterogeneous impacts of financial incentives on weight loss .  Between March 2010 and January 2012 , in a r and omized controlled trial , we assigned 700 obese persons to three experimental arms . We test whether particular subgroups react differently to financial incentives for weight loss . Two treatment groups obtained a cash reward ( € 150 and € 300 with 237 and 229 participants , respectively ) for achieving an individually-assigned target weight within four months ; the control group ( 234 participants ) was not incentivized . Participants and administrators were not blinded to the intervention . We find that monetary rewards effectively induced  obese individuals to reduce weight across all subgroups . However , there is no evidence for treatment-effect heterogeneity for those groups that were incentivized . Among those who were in the € 300 group , statistically significant and large weight losses were observed for women , singles , and those who are not working ( all above 4 kg in four months ) . In addition , the magnitude of the reward matters only for women and migrants . The effectiveness of financial incentives to reduce weight nevertheless raises sensitive ethical issues that should be taken into consideration by policymakers
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 .