Behavioral Economics-Based Online Lifestyle Balance Program

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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The objective of this project is to design a Behavioral Economics Based Online Lifestyle Balance Program that employs behavioral economics to engage and motivate adherence to an Internet-based program. The investigators compare the effects of two financial incentives on inducing weight loss: a direct financial incentive for weight loss and a financial incentive for health literacy.

Detailed Description
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This project investigates whether participants in an online weight loss program can be induced to achieve weight loss using financial incentives. The study is a 3-arm randomized controlled trial (RCT) stratified by gender. The goal is to examine how overweight individuals respond to two different types of financial incentives. The first type of incentive, incentive for weight loss (IW), is a cash award of approximately $150 given for achieving 5% weight loss over 12 weeks. The second type of incentive, incentive for education (IE), is a $150 award for passing quizzes that test the participants' health literacy about weight loss and the techniques required for maintaining a healthy lifestyle. The investigators compare the effectiveness of IW to IE in promoting weight loss in overweight individuals and investigate whether the two incentives work equally well for men and women.

Official Title
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Behavioral Economics-Based Online Lifestyle Balance Program

Conditions
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Weight Reduction, Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: Incentive for Education
* Behavioral: Incentive for Weight Loss


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: BMI between 23 and 33 Age between 40 and 60 years old Exclusion Criteria: History of diabetes History of significant cardiovascular disease Family history of atherosclerosis High blood pressure Significant lung disease

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 40 Years
Maximum Age: 60 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Treatment
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Factorial Assignment
Interventional Model Description: 3-arm RCT (Control, Incentive for Weight Loss, Incentive for Education) stratified by Gender.
Masking: Single


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| No Intervention: Control<br>Participants are enrolled in a 12-week, self-administered online weight loss program. The program is delivered through 12 weekly sessions; each includes educational videos and a health literacy quiz. Each quiz contains 10 questions, and a quiz is considered passed when at least 7 questions are answered correctly. All participants are encouraged to follow the program, take the quizzes, and lose 5% of their baseline body weight by the end of the program. No financial incentives are given for losing weight or passing quizzes. | |
| Experimental: Incentive for Education<br>Same 12-week, self-administered online weight loss program as in the Control arm. Each participant is also given a $150 Incentive for Education for passing at least nine quizzes by the end of the program. | Behavioral: Incentive for Education<br>* A $150 Incentive for Education is given to the participants for passing at least nine quizzes by the end of the program<br>|
| Experimental: Incentive for Weight Loss<br>Same 12-week, self-administered online weight loss program as in the Control arm. Each participant is also given a $150 Incentive for Weight Loss for losing 5% of their baseline body weight. | Behavioral: Incentive for Weight Loss<br>* A $150 Incentive for Weight Loss is given to the participants for losing at least 5% of baseline weight by the end of the program<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Weight Loss at the end of the weight loss program (at Week 13) | Weight measured at the Week 13 weigh-in session. Weight measurements are taken by trained research assistants using digital scales. | At week 13 of the RCT. | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Weight Loss at the end of the post-intervention period (Week 25) | Weight measured at the Week 25 weigh-in session. Weight measurements are taken by trained research assistants using digital scales. | At week 25 of the RCT. | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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Weight Reduction, Health Literacy, Financial Incentives, Lifestyle Change