Financial incentives for extended weight loss: a randomized, controlled trial

Using Games to Simulate Medication Adherence and Nonadherence: Laboratory Experiment in Gamified Behavioral Simulation

Background

Medical nonadherence is a significant problem associated with worse clinical outcomes, higher downstream rehospitalization rates, and a higher use of resources. To improve medication adherence, it is vital for researchers and practitioners to have a solid theoretical understanding of what interventions are likely to work. To achieve this understanding, we propose that researchers should focus on creating small-scale laboratory analogs to the larger real-world setting and determine what interventions, such as nudges or incentives, work to change behavior in the laboratory. To do this, we took inspiration from the literature on serious games and gamification and experimental economics. We call our approach "gamified behavioral simulation." In this paper, we modeled everyday life as the state of being engaged in a simple but addictive game, illness as being interruptions to the functionality of that game, treatment as being a series of actions that can be taken to prevent or mitigate those interruptions, and adherence as sticking to a prescribed rule for the application of those actions.

Objective

This study carries out a behavioral diagnosis of the medication adherence problem through a theoretically informed framework and then develops the gamified behavioral modeling approach to simulate medication nonadherence.

Methods

A laboratory experiment was conducted using a modified popular and addictive open-source video game called "2048," which created an abstract model for the medication adherence behavior observed in real life. In total, 509 participants were assigned to the control and 4 intervention groups ("incentive" group, "reminder" group, "commitment device" group, and "elongated duration for symptoms" group).

Results

The results of the modeling experiment showed that having theoretically informed interventions can increase the likelihood for them to be successful. In particular, there is evidence that the use of reminders improves the medication adherence rates for patients, and the same result was found in the modeling experiment, as they improved adherence significantly by 23% (95% CI -33.97% to -11.72%; P<.001). However, providing an incentive did not improve the adherence rate. We also tested the use of commitment devices, which, in line with real-world evidence, did not improve adherence rates. The fourth treatment tested elongated duration for symptoms, which attempted to show the power of modeling experiments where we test a what-if scenario that is extremely difficult to test in a real setting. The results indicated that if symptoms last longer, people did not adhere more to their medication regimen.

Conclusions

Gamified behavioral simulation is a useful tool to explain real health behaviors and help in identifying which interventions are most likely to work in a randomized trial.

Improving Cardiac Rehabilitation Adherence in Patients With Lower Socioeconomic Status: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Importance

Participation in cardiac rehabilitation is associated with significant decreases in morbidity and mortality. Despite the proven benefits, cardiac rehabilitation is severely underutilized in certain populations, specifically those with lower socioeconomic status (SES).

Objective

To assess the efficacy of early case management and/or financial incentives for increasing cardiac rehabilitation adherence among patients with lower SES.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This randomized clinical trial enrolled patients from December 2018 to December 2022. Participants were followed up for 1 year with assessors and cardiac rehabilitation staff blinded to study condition. Patients with lower SES with a cardiac rehabilitation-qualifying diagnosis (myocardial infarction, coronary artery bypass graft, percutaneous coronary intervention, heart valve replacement/repair, or stable systolic heart failure) were recruited. Then patients attended one of 3 cardiac rehabilitation programs at 1 university or 2 community-based hospitals. A consecutively recruited sample was randomized and stratified by age (<57 vs ≥57 years) and smoking status (current smoker vs nonsmoker or former smoker).

Intervention

Participants were randomized 2:3:3:3 to either a usual care control, case management starting in-hospital, financial incentives for completing cardiac rehabilitation sessions, or both interventions (case management plus financial incentives). Interventions were in place for 4 months following informed consent.

Main Outcomes and Measures

The main outcome was cardiac rehabilitation adherence (proportion of patients completing ≥30 sessions). The a priori hypothesis was that interventions would improve adherence, with the combined intervention performing best.

Results

Of 314 individuals approached, 11 were ineligible, and 94 declined participation. Of the 209 individuals who were randomized, 17 were withdrawn. A total of 192 individuals (67 [35%] female; mean [SD] age, 58 [11] years) were included in the analysis. Interventions significantly improved cardiac rehabilitation adherence with 4 of 36 (11%), 13 of 51 (25%), 22 of 53 (42%), and 32 of 52 (62%) participants completing at least 30 sessions in the usual care, case management, financial incentives, and case management plus financial incentives conditions, respectively. The financial incentives and case management plus financial incentives conditions significantly improved cardiac rehabilitation adherence vs usual care (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 5.1 [95% CI, 1.5-16.7]; P = .01; AOR, 13.2 [95% CI, 4.0-43.5]; P < .001, respectively), and the case management plus financial incentives condition was superior to both case management or financial incentives alone (AOR, 5.0 [95% CI, 2.1-11.9]; P < .001; AOR, 2.6 [95% CI, 1.2-5.9]; P = .02, respectively). Interventions were received well by participants: 86 of 105 (82%) in the financial incentives conditions earned at least some incentives, and 96 of 103 participants (93%) assigned to a case manager completed the initial needs assessment.

Conclusion and Relevance

In this randomized clinical trial, financial incentives improved cardiac rehabilitation adherence in a population with higher risk and lower SES with additional benefit from adding case management.

Trial Registration

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03759873.

Financial Incentives and Treatment Outcomes in Adolescents With Severe Obesity: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Importance

Adolescent severe obesity is usually not effectively treated with traditional lifestyle modification therapy. Meal replacement therapy (MRT) shows short-term efficacy for body mass index (BMI; calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared) reduction in adolescents, and financial incentives (FIs) may be an appropriate adjunct intervention to enhance long-term efficacy.

Objective

To evaluate the effect of MRT plus FIs vs MRT alone on BMI, body fat, and cardiometabolic risk factors in adolescents with severe obesity.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This was a randomized clinical trial of MRT plus FIs vs MRT alone at a large academic health center in the Midwest conducted from 2018 to 2022. Participants were adolescents (ages 13-17 y) with severe obesity (≥120% of the 95th BMI percentile based on sex and age or ≥35 BMI, whichever was lower) who were unaware of the FI component of the trial until they were randomized to MRT plus FIs or until the end of the trial. Study staff members collecting clinical measures were blinded to treatment condition. Data were analyzed from March 2022 to February 2024.

Interventions

MRT included provision of preportioned, calorie-controlled meals (~1200 kcals/d). In the MRT plus FI group, incentives were provided based on reduction in body weight from baseline.

Main Outcomes and Measures

The primary end point was mean BMI percentage change from randomization to 52 weeks. Secondary end points included total body fat and cardiometabolic risk factors: blood pressure, triglyceride to high-density lipoprotein ratio, heart rate variability, and arterial stiffness. Cost-effectiveness was additionally evaluated. Safety was assessed through monthly adverse event monitoring and frequent assessment of unhealthy weight-control behaviors.

Results

Among 126 adolescents with severe obesity (73 female [57.9%]; mean [SD] age, 15.3 [1.2] years), 63 participants received MRT plus FIs and 63 participants received only MRT. At 52 weeks, the mean BMI reduction was greater by -5.9 percentage points (95% CI, -9.9 to -1.9 percentage points; P = .004) in the MRT plus FI compared with the MRT group. The MRT plus FI group had a greater reduction in mean total body fat mass by -4.8 kg (95% CI, -9.1 to -0.6 kg; P = .03) and was cost-effective (incremental cost-effectiveness ratio, $39 178 per quality-adjusted life year) compared with MRT alone. There were no significant differences in cardiometabolic risk factors or unhealthy weight-control behaviors between groups.

Conclusions and Relevance

In this study, adding FIs to MRT resulted in greater reductions in BMI and total body fat in adolescents with severe obesity without increased unhealthy weight-control behaviors. FIs were cost-effective and possibly promoted adherence to health behaviors.

Trial Registration

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03137433.

Don't Give-Up: Why some intervention schemes encourage suboptimal behavior

Many social challenges stem from individuals' tendency to prefer immediately rewarding but suboptimal behaviors ("Give-Up" options) over more costly endeavors that yield much better outcomes in the long run ("Try" options). For example, many people forgo the long-term benefits of formal education, healthy diets, learning new technologies, and even finding true love. This paper examines various incentivization programs that combine external rewards and punishments to discourage such counterproductive behaviors, which often result in only temporary behavioral change. Our findings suggest that some interventions' limited impact may be due to their focus on only shifting behaviors from "Give-Up" (e.g., dropping out of college, avoiding the gym) to "Try" (e.g., attending college, exercising regularly), without promoting sufficient exploration of these "Try" options. Yet exploration of the long-term benefits of "Trying" may be crucial to increase the chances of long-term learning and commitment. Using a simplified abstraction of this dilemma, our results show a high tendency to choose "Give-Up" options prior to intervention. Examination of four different incentivization strategies suggests that only rewarding exploration of new "Try" options is a straightforward strategy to increase exploration and optimal choice. Punishing both the selection of "Give-Up" options and the choice to exploit suboptimal "Try" options produced similar results. Other common guidance strategies were less effective, as these strategies simply tended to replace one suboptimal behavior with another. Surprisingly, punishments seemed to be a relatively more successful incentive than rewards. We discuss how these insights can help guide policy aiming to improve long-term outcomes through incentivization.

How Can Debiasing Research Aid Efforts to Reduce Discrimination?

PUBLIC ABSTRACT

Scientists studying intergroup biases are often concerned with lessening discrimination (unequal treatment of one social group versus another), but many interventions for reducing such biased behavior have weak or limited evidence. In this review article, we argue one productive avenue for reducing discrimination comes from adapting interventions in a separate field-judgment and decision-making-that has historically studied "debiasing": the ways people can lessen the unwanted influence of irrelevant information on decision-making. While debiasing research shares several commonalities with research on reducing intergroup discrimination, many debiasing interventions have relied on methods that differ from those deployed in the intergroup bias literature. We review several instances where debiasing principles have been successfully applied toward reducing intergroup biases in behavior and introduce other debiasing techniques that may be well-suited for future efforts in lessening discrimination.

Qualitative study of perceptions of factors contributing to success or failure among participants in a US weight loss trial of financial incentives and environmental change strategies

BACKGROUND

The use of financial incentives and environmental change strategies to encourage health behaviour change is increasingly prevalent. However, the experiences of participants in incentive interventions are not well characterised. Examination of participant perceptions of financial incentives and environmental strategies can offer insights about how these interventions are facilitating or failing to encourage behaviour change.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to learn how participants in a randomised trial that tested financial incentives and environmental interventions to support weight loss perceived factors contributing to their success or failure in the trial.

DESIGN

Qualitative study with one-time interviews of trial participants with high and low success in losing weight, supplemented by study records of incentive payments and weight loss.

PARTICIPANTS

24 trial participants (12 with substantial weight loss and 12 with no weight loss) stratified equally across the 4 trial arms (incentives, environmental strategies, combined and usual care) were interviewed.

ANALYTICAL APPROACH

Transcribed interviews were coded and interpreted using an iterative process. Explanation development was completed using an abductive approach.

RESULTS

Responses of trial participants who were very successful in losing weight differed in several ways from those who were not. Successful participants described more robust prior attempts at dietary and exercise modification, more active engagement with self-limitations, more substantial social support and a greater ability to routinise dietary and exercise changes than did participants who did not lose weight. Successful participants often stated that weight loss was its own reward, even without receiving incentives. Neither group could articulate the details of the incentive intervention or consistently differentiate incentives from study payments.

CONCLUSIONS

A number of factors distinguished successful from unsuccessful participants in this intervention. Participants who were successful tended to attribute their success to intrinsic motivation and prior experience. Making incentives more salient may make them more effective for participants with greater extrinsic motivation.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

NCT02878343.

Quantifying and correcting bias due to outcome dependent self-reported weights in longitudinal study of weight loss interventions

In response to the escalating global obesity crisis and its associated health and financial burdens, this paper presents a novel methodology for analyzing longitudinal weight loss data and assessing the effectiveness of financial incentives. Drawing from the Keep It Off trial-a three-arm randomized controlled study with 189 participants-we examined the potential impact of financial incentives on weight loss maintenance. Given that some participants choose not to weigh themselves because of small weight change or weight gains, which is a common phenomenon in many weight-loss studies, traditional methods, for example, the Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE) method tends to overestimate the effect size due to the assumption that data are missing completely at random. To address this challenge, we proposed a framework which can identify evidence of missing not at random and conduct bias correction using the estimating equation derived from pairwise composite likelihood. By analyzing the Keep It Off data, we found that the data in this trial are most likely characterized by non-random missingness. Notably, we also found that the enrollment time (i.e., duration time) would be positively associated with the weight loss maintenance after adjusting for the baseline participant characteristics (e.g., age, sex). Moreover, the lottery-based intervention was found to be more effective in weight loss maintenance compared with the direct payment intervention, though the difference was non-statistically significant. This framework's significance extends beyond weight loss research, offering a semi-parametric approach to assess missing data mechanisms and robustly explore associations between exposures (e.g., financial incentives) and key outcomes (e.g., weight loss maintenance). In essence, the proposed methodology provides a powerful toolkit for analyzing real-world longitudinal data, particularly in scenarios with data missing not at random, enriching comprehension of intricate dataset dynamics.

Financial incentives and case management to improve cardiac rehabilitation participation among patients with lower socio-economic status: Rationale and protocol for a randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Participation in phase 2 cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is associated with significant decreases in morbidity and mortality. Unfortunately, attendance at CR is not optimal and certain populations, such as those with lower-socioeconomic status (SES), are less likely to participate. In order to remedy this disparity we have designed a trial to examine the efficacy of early case management and/or financial incentives for increasing CR participation among lower-SES patients.

METHODS

We will employ a randomized controlled trial with a sample goal of 209 patients who will be randomized 2:3:3:3 to either a usual care control, to receive a case manager starting in-hospital, to receive financial incentives for completing CR sessions, or to receive both interventions.

RESULTS

Treatment conditions will be compared on attendance at CR and end-of-intervention (four months) improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness, executive function, and health-related quality of life. The primary outcome measures for this project will be number of CR sessions completed and the percentage who complete ≥30 sessions. Secondary outcomes will include improvements in health outcomes by condition, as well as the cost-effectiveness of the intervention with a focus on potential reductions in emergency department visits and hospitalizations. We hypothesize that either intervention will perform better than the control and that the combination of interventions will perform better than either alone.

CONCLUSIONS

This systematic examination of interventions will allow us to test the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of approaches that have the potential to increase CR participation substantially and significantly improve health outcomes among patients with lower-SES.

Principles and Validations of an Artificial Intelligence-Based Recommender System Suggesting Acceptable Food Changes

BACKGROUND

Along with the popularity of smartphones, artificial intelligence-based personalized suggestions can be seen as promising ways to change eating habits toward more desirable diets.

OBJECTIVES

Two issues raised by such technologies were addressed in this study. The first hypothesis tested is a recommender system based on automatically learning simple association rules between dishes of the same meal that would make it possible to identify plausible substitutions for the consumer. The second hypothesis tested is that for an identical set of dietary-swaps suggestions, the more the user is-or thinks to be-involved in the process of identifying the suggestion, the higher is their probability of accepting the suggestion.

METHODS

Three studies are presented in this article, first, we present the principles of an algorithm to mine plausible substitutions from a large food consumption database. Second, we evaluate the plausibility of these automatically mined suggestions through the results of online tests conducted for a group of 255 adult participants. Afterward, we investigated the persuasiveness of 3 suggestion methods of such recommendations in a population of 27 healthy adult volunteers through a custom designed smartphone application.

RESULTS

The results firstly indicated that a method based on automatic learning of substitution rules between foods performed relatively well identifying plausible swaps suggestions. Regarding the form that should be used to suggest, we found that when users are involved in selecting the most appropriate recommendation for them, the resulting suggestions were more accepted (OR = 3.168; P < 0.0004).

CONCLUSIONS

This work indicates that food recommendation algorithms can gain efficiency by taking into account the consumption context and user engagement in the recommendation process. Further research is warranted to identify nutritionally relevant suggestions.

Effectiveness of a diabetes program based on digital health on capacity building and quality of care in type 2 diabetes: a pragmatic quasi-experimental study

Health systems in Latin America face many challenges in controlling the increasing burden of diabetes. Digital health interventions are a promise for the provision of care, especially in developing countries where mobile technology has a high penetration. This study evaluated the effectiveness of the implementation of a Diabetes Program (DP) that included digital health interventions to improve the quality of care of persons with type 2 Diabetes (T2DM) in a vulnerable population attending the public primary care network.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A quasi-experimental pre-post uncontrolled study was conducted in 19 primary care centers and hospitals in the province of Corrientes, Argentina. We included persons with T2DM, age >  = 18 years with access to a mobile phone. The multicomponent intervention included a mobile app with a diabetes registry, a clinical decision support tool for providers and a text messaging intervention for patients.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

One thousand sixty-five participants were included, 72.8% had less than 12 years of formal education and 53.5% lacked health coverage. Comorbidities were hypertension (60.8%) and overweight/obesity (88.2%). During follow-up there was a significant increase in the proportion of participants who underwent laboratory check-ups (HbA1c 20.3%-64.4%; p < 0.01) and foot exams (62.1%-87.2%; p < 0.01). No changes were observed at 12 and 24 months in the proportion of participants with poor metabolic control. The proportion of participants with uncontrolled blood pressure (≥ 140/90 mmHg) decreased from 47.2% at baseline to 30.8% at 24 months in those with a follow-up visit.

CONCLUSION

The DP was innovative by integrating digital health interventions in the public primary care level. The study showed improvements in quality indicators related with diabetes care processes and in blood pressure control.

Study protocol: Behavioral economics and self-determination theory to change diabetes risk (BEST Change)

BACKGROUND

The Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) and metformin can prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) among patients with prediabetes. Yet, even when these evidence-based strategies are accessible and affordable, uptake is low. Thus, there is a critical need for effective, scalable, and sustainable approaches to increase uptake and engagement in these interventions.

METHODS

In this randomized controlled trial, we will test whether financial incentives and automated messaging to promote autonomous motivation for preventing T2DM can increase DPP participation, metformin use, or both among adults with prediabetes. Participants (n = 380) will be randomized to one of four study arms. Control Arm participants will receive usual care and educational text messages about preventing T2DM. Incentives Arm participants will receive the Control Arm intervention plus financial incentives for DPP participation or metformin use. Tailored Messages Arm participants will receive the Control Arm intervention plus tailored messages promoting autonomous motivation for preventing T2DM. Combined Arm participants will receive the Incentives Arm and Tailored Messages Arm interventions plus messages to increase the personal salience of financial incentives. The primary outcome is change in hemoglobin A1c from baseline to 12 months. Secondary outcomes are change in body weight, DPP participation, and metformin use.

DISCUSSION

If effective, these scalable and sustainable approaches to increase patient motivation to prevent T2DM can be deployed by health systems, health plans, and employers to help individuals with prediabetes lower their risk for developing T2DM.

Financial Incentives to Improve Patient Follow-up and Weight Loss After Bariatric Surgery

OBJECTIVE

To examine effects of a financial incentives program on follow-up and weight loss after bariatric surgery.

SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA

Consistent follow-up may improve weight loss and other health outcomes after bariatric surgery. Yet, rates of follow-up after surgery are often low.

METHODS

Patients from 3 practices within a statewide collaborative were invited to participate in a 6-month financial incentives program. Participants received incentives for attending postoperative appointments at 1, 3, and 6 months which doubled when participants weighed less than their prior visit. Participants were matched with contemporary patients from control practices by demographics, starting body mass index and weight, surgery date, and procedure. Preintervention estimates used matched historic patients from the same program and control practices with the criteria listed above. Patients between the 2 historic groups were additionally matched on surgery date to ensure balance on matched variables. We conducted differ-ence-in-differences analyses to examine incentives program effects. Follow-up attendance and percent excess weight loss were measured postoperative months 1, 3, 6, and 12.

RESULTS

One hundred ten program participants from January 1, 2018 to July 31, 2019 were matched to 203 historic program practice patients (November 20 to December 27, 2017). The control group had 273 preinter-vention patients and 327 postintervention patients. In difference-in-differ-ences analyses, the intervention increased follow-up rates at 1 month (+14.8%, P <0.0001), 3months (+29.4%, P <0.0001), and 6 months (+16.4%, P <0.0001), but not at 12 months. There were no statistically significant differences in excess weight loss.

CONCLUSIONS

A financial incentives program significantly increased follow-up after bariatric surgery for up to 6 months, but did not increase weight loss. Our study supports use of incentivized approaches as one way to improve postoperative follow-up, but may not translate into greater weight loss without additional supports.

Escalating schedules of incentives increase physical activity with no differences between deposit and no-deposit groups: A systematic replication

Physical inactivity has increasingly affected public health in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic as it is associated with chronic diseases such as arthritis, cancer, and heart disease. Contingency management has been shown to increase physical activity. Therefore, the present study sought to evaluate the effects of an escalating schedule of monetary reinforcement with a reset contingency on physical activity, as compared between 2 counterbalanced groups in which a monetary deposit of $25 was either required (deposit group) or not (no-deposit group). Twenty-five adults wore Fitbit accelerometers to monitor step counts. An ABA reversal design was used; in the 2 baseline phases, no programmed contingencies were in place for step counts. During intervention, step goals were set using a modified 70th percentile schedule with a 7-day window: Reaching the first goal would result in $0.25, and incentives increased by $0.25 for each subsequent day in which the goal was met. Failure to reach a goal resulted in a reset of the monetary incentive value to $0.25. Ten out of 12 participants from the deposit group were determined to be responders to intervention, whereas 8 out of 13 participants from the no-deposit group were determined to be responders to intervention. Overall, there were no significant differences between the groups' step counts. However, the deposit group's intervention was cheaper to implement, which suggests that deposit contracts are a viable modification for physical activity interventions.

[Effectiveness and Ethical Evaluation of Nudging to Promote the Self-Management in Diabetes Mellitus Type 2]

BACKGROUND

Nudges offer a wide range of options for protecting health in everyday life that supplements traditional public health measures. Against this background, we conducted initial investigations on the effectiveness and ethical aspects of different nudges for promoting self-management of patients with diabetes mellitus type 2 in the context of Disease Management Programs (DMPs).

METHODS

The ethical assessment of the nudges was done within the systematic framework of Marckmann et al. (2015) for public health ethics. The existing evidence on the effectiveness of nudges was summarised by means of a narrative literature review.

RESULTS

Target agreements with implementation plans, reminder, feedback reports, shared appointments of patients with physicians, peer mentoring, and behavior contracts are nudging interventions with moderate interference with personal rights and relatively unproblematic ethical requirements, which have demonstrated effectiveness in different contexts. Default enrollment for patient training courses, involvement of partners, confrontation with social norms, and shocking pictures may be effective as well; however, they interfere more deeply with the freedom and privacy of patients and, therefore, are bound to stronger ethical requirements and restrictions. The evidence base is still insufficient, especially for social support measures by relatives and peers.

CONCLUSIONS

Nudging offers a wide range of targeted interventions for supporting self-management of patients with chronic diseases, the potential of which has not yet been fully realized. Particularly promising interventions should be tested in pilot studies for their acceptance, effectiveness and cost-effectiveness in the context of DMPs.

Effectiveness of Incentives for Improving Diabetes-Related Health Indicators in Chronic Disease Lifestyle Modification Programs: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

INTRODUCTION

We examined the effectiveness of providing incentives to participants in lifestyle modification programs to improve diabetes-related health indicators: body weight, body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, cholesterol, and hemoglobin A1C (HbA1C). We also examined the potential effect of 4 different incentive domains (ie, type, monetary value, attainment certainty, and schedule) on those indicators.

METHODS

We searched Medline, Embase, PsycINFO, and Cochrane Library to identify relevant studies published from January 2008 through August 2021. We used a random-effects model to pool study results and examine between-study heterogeneity by using the I2 statistic and the Cochran Q test. We also conducted moderator analyses by using a mixed-effects model to examine differences between subgroups of incentive domains (eg, incentive type [cash vs other types]).

RESULTS

Our search yielded 10,965 articles, of which 19 randomized controlled trials met our selection criteria. The random-effects model revealed that, relative to the control group, the incentive group had significant reductions in weight (-1.85kg; 95% CI, -2.40 to -1.29; P < .001), BMI (-0.47kg/m2; 95% CI, -0.71 to -0.22; P < .001), and both systolic blood pressure (-2.59 mm HG; 95% CI, -4.98 to -0.20; P = .03) and diastolic blood pressure (-2.62 mm Hg; 95% CI, -4.61 to -0.64; P = .01). A reduction in cholesterol level was noted but was not significant (-2.81 mg/dL; 95% CI, -8.89 to -3.28; P = .37). One study found a significant reduction in hemoglobin A1c (-0.17%; 95% CI, -0.30% to -0.05%; P < .05). The moderator analyses showed that the incentive effect did not vary significantly between the subgroups of the incentive domains, except on weight loss for the attainment certainty domain, suggesting that a variety of incentive subgroups could be equally useful.

CONCLUSION

Providing incentives in lifestyle modification programs is a promising strategy to decrease weight, BMI, and blood pressure.

Investigating Rewards and Deposit Contract Financial Incentives for Physical Activity Behavior Change Using a Smartphone App: Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND

Financial incentive interventions for improving physical activity have proven to be effective but costly. Deposit contracts (in which participants pledge their own money) could be an affordable alternative. In addition, deposit contracts may have superior effects by exploiting the power of loss aversion. Previous research has often operationalized deposit contracts through loss framing a financial reward (without requiring a deposit) to mimic the feelings of loss involved in a deposit contract.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to disentangle the effects of incurring actual losses (through self-funding a deposit contract) and loss framing. We investigated whether incentive conditions are more effective than a no-incentive control condition, whether deposit contracts have a lower uptake than financial rewards, whether deposit contracts are more effective than financial rewards, and whether loss frames are more effective than gain frames.

METHODS

Healthy participants (N=126) with an average age of 22.7 (SD 2.84) years participated in a 20-day physical activity intervention. They downloaded a smartphone app that provided them with a personalized physical activity goal and either required a €10 (at the time of writing: €1=US $0.98) deposit up front (which could be lost) or provided €10 as a reward, contingent on performance. Daily feedback on incentive earnings was provided and framed as either a loss or gain. We used a 2 (incentive type: deposit or reward) × 2 (feedback frame: gain or loss) between-subjects factorial design with a no-incentive control condition. Our primary outcome was the number of days participants achieved their goals. The uptake of the intervention was a secondary outcome.

RESULTS

Overall, financial incentive conditions (mean 13.10, SD 6.33 days goal achieved) had higher effectiveness than the control condition (mean 8.00, SD 5.65 days goal achieved; P=.002; ηp2=0.147). Deposit contracts had lower uptake (29/47, 62%) than rewards (50/50, 100%; P<.001; Cramer V=0.492). Furthermore, 2-way analysis of covariance showed that deposit contracts (mean 14.88, SD 6.40 days goal achieved) were not significantly more effective than rewards (mean 12.13, SD 6.17 days goal achieved; P=.17). Unexpectedly, loss frames (mean 10.50, SD 6.22 days goal achieved) were significantly less effective than gain frames (mean 14.67, SD 5.95 days goal achieved; P=.007; ηp2=0.155).

CONCLUSIONS

Financial incentives help increase physical activity, but deposit contracts were not more effective than rewards. Although self-funded deposit contracts can be offered at low cost, low uptake is an important obstacle to large-scale implementation. Unexpectedly, loss framing was less effective than gain framing. Therefore, we urge further research on their boundary conditions before using loss-framed incentives in practice. Because of limited statistical power regarding some research questions, the results of this study should be interpreted with caution, and future work should be done to confirm these findings.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Open Science Framework Registries osf.io/34ygt; https://osf.io/34ygt.

Motivation for weight loss among completers of a free community-based weight loss program in a US-Mexico border region: A self-determination theory perspective

This study explores the perceptions and motivation for weight loss among participants who completed a free community-based weight loss program in a predominantly Hispanic and low-income region along the US-Mexico border using a Self-Determination Theory (SDT) perspective. This manuscript is timely as qualitative research on the effect of motivation as a factor in behavioral interventions to reduce overweight or obesity is currently lacking. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 participants (80%, n = 16 female) who completed a community weight-loss intervention to assess motivation for weight loss and participating, and the role of social support and self-efficacy in weight loss. Directed content analysis was used with SDT guiding the questions and subsequent theme analysis. The findings communicate perspectives of participants relevant to 8 prominent themes. The regulation types and constructs related to SDT included: non-regulation, external regulation, introjected regulation, identified regulation, integrated regulation, and intrinsic regulation as well as competence and relatedness. Participants mentioned external sources of motivation, such as wanting to improve their physical appearance, and motivation due to financial incentives. Fewer participants reported intrinsic motivators, which the literature suggests are more likely to create lasting change and improved health behaviors. Understanding the motivation for behavior change and completion of weight loss programs is essential to help participants reach their goals effectively and sustain weight loss. A greater emphasis during weight loss programs on the motives for individuals to lose weight may help improve outcomes in weight-loss interventions. Additionally, increasing strategies targeted at enhancing intrinsic motivation for weight loss may be beneficial.

Effect of a Lifestyle Intervention on Cardiometabolic Health Among Emerging Adults: A Randomized Clinical Trial

IMPORTANCE

The prevalence of obesity has increased substantially among emerging adults, yet no previous large-scale behavioral weight loss trials have been conducted among this age group.

OBJECTIVE

To test the effect of 2 theory-based motivational enhancements on weight loss within a primarily digital lifestyle intervention designed for emerging adults.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

In this randomized clinical trial conducted at an academic medical research center, 382 participants aged 18 to 25 years with a body mass index (BMI; calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared) of 25 to 45 were enrolled between February 2, 2016, and February 6, 2019. Data collection was completed February 8, 2020. Analysis was performed on an intention-to-treat basis.

INTERVENTIONS

Participants were randomized to 1 of 3 groups: developmentally adapted behavioral weight loss (aBWL), aBWL plus behavioral economics (aBWL + BE), or aBWL plus self-determination theory (aBWL + SDT). All groups received a 6-month intervention with 1 group session, 1 individual session, and a digital platform (digital tools for self-monitoring, weekly lessons, tailored feedback, text messages, and optional social media). The aBWL + BE group received modest financial incentives for self-monitoring and weight loss; the aBWL + SDT group received optional experiential classes. Coaching and message framing varied by group.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

The primary outcome was mean (SE) weight change (in kilograms) at 6 months. Secondary outcomes included proportion of participants achieving weight loss of 5% or more, percentage weight change, waist circumference, body composition, and blood pressure.

RESULTS

Among the 382 participants (mean [SD] age, 21.9 [2.2] years), 316 (82.7%) were female, mean (SD) BMI was 33.5 (4.9), 222 (58.1%) were of underrepresented race and/or ethnicity, and 320 (83.8%) were retained at the primary end point. There was a significant time effect for mean (SE) weight loss (-3.22 [0.55] kg in the aBWL group; -3.47 [0.55] kg in the aBWL + BE group; and -3.40 [0.53] kg in the aBWL + SDT group; all P < .001), but no between-group differences were observed (aBWL vs aBWL + BE: difference, -0.25 kg [95% CI, -1.79 to 1.29 kg]; P = .75; aBWL vs aBWL + SDT: difference, -0.18 kg [95% CI, -1.67 to 1.31 kg]; P = .81; and aBWL + SDT vs aBWL + BE: difference, 0.07 kg [95% CI, -1.45 to 1.59 kg]; P = .93). The proportion of participants achieving a weight loss of 5% or more was 40.0% in the aBWL group (50 of 125), 39.8% in the aBWL + BE group (51 of 128), and 44.2% in the aBWL + SDT group (57 of 129), which was not statistically different across groups (aBWL vs aBWL + BE, P = .89; aBWL vs aBWL + SDT, P = .45; aBWL + SDT vs aBWL + BE, P = .54). Parallel findings were observed for all secondary outcomes-clinically and statistically significant improvements with no differences between groups.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

In this randomized clinical trial, all interventions produced clinically significant benefit, but neither of the motivational enhancements promoted greater reductions in adiposity compared with the developmentally adapted standard group. Continued efforts are needed to optimize lifestyle interventions for this high-risk population and determine which intervention works best for specific individuals based on sociodemographic and/or psychosocial characteristics.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02736981.

Examining the Implementation of Conditional Financial Incentives Using the Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance (RE-AIM) Framework to Improve HIV Outcomes among Persons Living with HIV (PLWH) in Louisiana

Economic strengthening interventions are needed to support HIV outcomes among persons living with HIV (PLWH). The Baton Rouge Positive Pathway Study (BRPPS), a mixed method implementation science study, was conducted to assess key RE-AIM components tied to the provision of conditional financial incentives among PLWH in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Seven hundred and eighty-one (781) PLWH enrolled at four HIV clinic sites were included in the final analyses. Participants completed an initial baseline survey, viral load test, and were contacted at 6 and 12 months (±1 month) post-enrollment for follow-up labs to monitor viral load levels. Participants received up to USD140 in conditional financial incentives. The primary analyses assessed whether participation in the BRPPS was associated with an increase in the proportion of participants who were: (a) engaged in care, (b) retained in care and (c) virally suppressed at baseline to 6 and 12 months post-baseline. We constructed a longitudinal regression model where participant-level outcomes at times t0 (baseline) and t1 (6- or 12-month follow-up) were modeled as a function of time. A secondary analysis was conducted using single-level regression to examine which baseline characteristics were associated with the outcomes of interest at 12-month follow-up. Cost analyses were also conducted with three of the participating clinics. Most participants identified as Black/African American (89%). Fewer than half of participants reported that they were unemployed or made less than USD5000 annually (43%). Over time, the proportion of participants engaged in care and retained in care significantly increased (70% to 93% and 32% to 64%, p < 0.00). However, the proportion of virally suppressed participants decreased over time (59% to 34%, p < 0.00). Implementation costs across the three sites ranged from USD17,198.05 to USD396,910.00 and were associated with between 0.37 and 1.34 HIV transmissions averted at each site. Study findings provide promising evidence to suggest that conditional financial incentives could help support engagement and retention in HIV care for a high need and at risk for falling out of HIV care population.

Do Immediate External Rewards Really Enhance Intrinsic Motivation?

Researchers have conducted many studies on the relationship between external rewards and intrinsic motivation. A recent study showed that, compared with delayed rewards, rewards delivered immediately after the experiment enhanced the participants’ intrinsic motivation. However, this study did not rule out the possibility of a misattribution effect of extrinsic motivation. The present research conducted three studies to explore whether immediate rewards actually enhance intrinsic motivation. To rule out the interference of the misattribution effect of extrinsic motivation, according to the different characteristics of extrinsic motivation and intrinsic motivation, Study 1 and Study 2 improved the prior experimental paradigm, and the results indicated that the intrinsic motivation of participants who received extra rewards immediately after completing experimental tasks was stronger than that of participants who received the delayed extra reward. Furthermore, to rule out the potential interference of temporal discounting, Study 3 introduced a new variable—reward magnitude. The results showed that the delivery time of the extra reward had an independent effect on intrinsic motivation and that the immediacy of the extra reward could enhance intrinsic motivation. In all, the three studies strongly demonstrated that immediate external extra rewards could truly enhance intrinsic motivation.

Patient contracts for chronic medical conditions: Scoping review

OBJECTIVE

To describe how and why patient contracts are used for the management of chronic medical conditions.

DATA SOURCES

A scoping review was conducted in the following databases: MEDLINE, Embase, AMED, PsycInfo, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, and Nursing & Allied Health. Literature from 1997 to 2017 was included.

STUDY SELECTION

Articles were included if they were written in English and described the implementation of a patient contract by a health care provider for the management of a chronic condition. Articles had to present an outcome as a result of using the contract or an intervention that included the contract.

SYNTHESIS

Of the 7528 articles found in the original search, 76 met the inclusion criteria for the final review. Multiple study types were included. Extensive variety in contract elements, target populations, clinical settings, and cointerventions was found. Purposes for initiating contracts included behaviour change and skill development, including goal development and problem solving; altering beliefs and knowledge, including motivation and perceived self-efficacy; improving interpersonal relationships and role clarification; improving quality and process of chronic care; and altering objective and subjective health indices. How contracts were developed, implemented, and assessed was inconsistently described.

CONCLUSION

More research is required to determine whether the use of contracts is accomplishing their intended purposes. Questions remain regarding their rationale, development, and implementation.

Incentivizing Prescription Drug Switching to Reduce Patient and Health Plan Spending: A Microsimulation Model

OBJECTIVES

Most spending for prescription drugs is on branded drugs that do not have direct generic equivalents but many of these drugs do have therapeutic alternatives within class. We estimate the potential savings from providing patients a financial incentive to switch from a higher cost drug to a lower cost, therapeutic alternative drug.

METHODS

We used individual state-transition microsimulations to model medication use and spending with and without financial incentives over a 12-month time horizon with a healthcare sector perspective. Costs and utilization inputs were from individuals on branded insulins or multiple sclerosis drugs enrolled in a regional mixed-model health maintenance organization. Base-case model used a one-time financial incentive of $83 and $250 offered to patients on higher cost insulin and multiple sclerosis treatments, respectively, to switch to lower cost drugs within class.

RESULTS

Savings per individual offered an incentive in the insulin and multiple sclerosis classes were, respectively, $84 (95% CI $46-$122) and $2,127 (95% CI $267-$3,987). Varying the incentive size and switch probability resulted in maximum savings of $712 at elasticity of 0.2 and incentive size $250 for the insulin drug class. For the multiple sclerosis drug class, maximum savings of $5945 was at elasticity of 0.2 and incentive size of $1000. Short time horizon makes our savings estimates conservative.

CONCLUSIONS

If programs such as financial incentives could encourage even a small proportion of patients to switch among drugs within therapeutic class, then substantial savings could be generated.

[Financial incentives to achieve health-related behavioral goals: State of play and unresolved questions]

Programs providing monetary rewards to individuals who achieve a health-related goal (quitting smoking, losing weight, etc.) aim at promoting healthy behaviors. While these programs seem to achieve their objective in the short run, their ability to provoke lasting changes remains to be demonstrated. The identification of granting mechanisms likely to maximize the incentive effect of these rewards should be based on knowledge about individual attitudes evidenced by behavioral economics. As the latter has shown that preferences toward risk vary from one individual to another, these incentive mechanisms should be tailor-made according to individual preferences.

Impact of motivational interviewing as a follow-up to an exercise intervention among women with or at risk for metabolic syndrome: A randomized controlled trial

OBJECTIVES

Women have a higher prevalence of metabolic syndrome than their male counterparts, and interventions should target women with or at risk for metabolic syndrome. The objective of this study was to compare two intervention strategies on long-term outcomes following the completion of an exercise intervention.

METHODS

Twenty-six women (M age = 43.35 ± 9.03) with at least one risk factor for metabolic syndrome were randomized into either a motivational interviewing group (n = 10) or self-regulation-based mobile messaging control group (n = 16) as a 12-week follow-up to a 10-week, 30-session exercise intervention. Outcomes of interest were body fat percentage, bone mineral density, waist circumference, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, triglycerides, high-density cholesterol, and fasting blood glucose.

RESULTS

Mixed ANOVAs revealed a significant effect for group × time for body fat percentage F(1, 24) = 8.30, p = 0.01,η p 2  = 0.26, bone mineral density F(1, 24) = 6.68, p = 0.02,η p 2  = 0.22, waist circumference F(1, 24) = 10.35, p = 0.01,η p 2  = 0.30, triglycerides F(1, 24) = 5.06, p = 0.03,η p 2  = 0.17, and systolic blood pressure F(1, 24) = 5.39, p = 0.03,η p 2  = 0.18 all in favor of the motivational interviewing group after 12 weeks when compared to the self-regulation-based mobile messaging group. No significant effect for group × time was noted for diastolic blood pressure p = 0.36,η p 2  = 0.04, high-density cholesterol p = 0.08,η p 2  = 0.12, or fasting blood glucose p = 0.85,η p 2  = 0.01 when comparing the motivational interviewing and self-regulation-based mobile messaging groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Motivational interviewing may be a more impactful solution to extend the effects of exercise intervention studies compared to a self-regulation-based mobile messaging control group. Future interventions should focus on increasing sample size, utilizing more objective measures of body composition, utilizing booster sessions, and increasing the length of follow-up periods.

Randomized controlled trial of financial incentives during weight-loss induction and maintenance in online group weight control

OBJECTIVE

This study examined the impact of a financial incentive scheme integrating process and outcome incentives across weight-loss induction and weight maintenance on 18-month weight outcomes.

METHODS

This was a randomized controlled trial. Participants with overweight or obesity (n = 418; 91% female; 28% racial/ethnic minority) were randomized to an 18-month, online, group-based behavioral weight-control program (Internet-Only) or the same program with financial incentives provided for 12 months, contingent on self-regulatory weight-control behaviors (self-weighing, dietary self-monitoring, and physical activity) and weight-outcome benchmarks (Internet+Incentives). No financial incentives were provided from Months 13 to 18 to examine the durability of weight-control behaviors and outcomes without incentives.

RESULTS

Weight-loss induction at Month 6 was significantly greater for Internet+Incentives than Internet-Only (6.8% vs. 4.9%, respectively, p = 0.01). Individuals receiving incentives were significantly more likely to maintain weight loss ≥ 5% at Month 12 (45% in Internet+Incentives vs. 32% in Internet-Only, p < 0.02) and remain weight stable (39% vs. 27%, respectively, p < 0.01). Internet+Incentives participants also reported significantly greater behavioral engagement through Month 12. However, once incentives ceased, there were no differences in sustained weight outcomes (Month 18), and engagement declined dramatically.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite promoting greater treatment engagement and initial weight loss, financial incentives as offered in this study did not promote better extended weight control.

Persistent effects of temporary incentives: Evidence from a nationwide health insurance experiment

Temporary incentives are offered in anticipation of persistent effects that are seldom estimated. We use a nationwide randomized experiment in the Philippines to estimate effects of two incentives for health insurance three years after their withdrawal. We find that both temporary incentives had persistent effects on enrollment. A premium subsidy had a small but highly persistent effect. Application assistance offered to those initially unresponsive to the subsidy had a much larger but less persistent effect. The subsidy persuaded those with higher initial stated willingness to pay to enroll and keep enrolling. The offer of application assistance to initial non-compliers with the subsidy achieved a larger immediate effect by drawing in those who stated they valued insurance less and were less likely to re-enroll when the incentives were withdrawn.

Effectiveness of financial incentives and message framing to improve clinic visits of people with moderate-high cardiovascular risk in a vulnerable population in Argentina: A cluster randomized trial

In Argentina, cardiovascular disease (CVD) represents the first cause of mortality, but effective coverage for CVD prevention is low. Strategies based on behavioral economics are emerging worldwide as key pieces to increase the effectiveness of CVD prevention approaches. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the implementation of two strategies based on financial incentives and framing increased attendance to clinical visits as proposed by the national program for CVD risk factors management among the uninsured and poor population with moderate or high CVD risk in Argentina. We conducted a cluster randomized trial in nine primary care clinics (PCCs) in Argentina. Three PCCs were assigned to financial incentives, 3 to framing-text messages (SMS) and 3 to usual care. The incentive scheme included a direct incentive for attending the first clinical visit and the opportunity to participate in a lottery when attending a second clinical visit. The framing-text messages group received messages with a gain-frame format. The main outcome was the proportion of participants who attended the clinical visits. A total of 918 individuals with a risk ≥10% of suffering a CVD event within the next 10 years were recruited to participate in the study. The financial incentive group had a significantly higher percentage of participants who attended the first (59.0% vs 33.9%, p˂ 0.001) and the follow up visit (34.4% and 16.6%, p˂ 0.001) compared to control group. However, the framing-SMS group did not show significant differences compared to the control group. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study is registered at www.clinicaltrials.govNCT03300154.

The nudge strategies for weight loss in adults with obesity and overweight: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Obesity and overweight conditions have become major health challenges worldwide. The exploration of effective weight loss strategies is essential. Nudges are currently advancing approaches that represent a new and better method for changing the behaviors of people. However, the effectiveness of nudge interventions on weight loss in overweight people who may be obese has not been synthesized in a systematic manner. In this study, a systematic literature search was performed. Only randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were considered. Weighted mean differences (WMDs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated as summary statistics. In total, 25 RCTs involving a population of 5,929 individuals were included. Significant effects of the nudge strategy on weight loss (WMD: -0.96 kg, 95% CI: -1.49 to -0.43), body mass index (WMD: -0.3 kg/m², 95% CI: -0.41 to -0.19) and waist circumference (WMD: -0.75 cm, 95% CI: -1.23 to -0.27) were observed. The subgroup analysis showed that the reduction in body weight associated with nudge interventions was significant in younger and more obese people. Moreover, the effect of nudge intervention on weight loss weakened over time. Overall, the nudge strategy can promote changes in weight loss, body mass index and waist circumference of adults, albeit at a mild magnitude and in particular types of individuals. Nudge strategies can be recommended to clinical practitioners and policy-makers to promote obesity management.

Strategies to increase downloads of COVID-19 exposure notification apps: A discrete choice experiment

Exposure notification apps have been developed to assist in notifying individuals of recent exposures to SARS-CoV-2. However, in several countries, such apps have had limited uptake. We assessed whether strategies to increase downloads of exposure notification apps should emphasize improving the accuracy of the apps in recording contacts and exposures, strengthening privacy protections and/or offering financial incentives to potential users. In a discrete choice experiment with potential app users in the US, financial incentives were more than twice as important in decision-making about app downloads, than privacy protections, and app accuracy. The probability that a potential user would download an exposure notification app increased by 40% when offered a $100 reward to download (relative to a reference scenario in which the app is free). Financial incentives might help exposure notification apps reach uptake levels that improve the effectiveness of contact tracing programs and ultimately enhance efforts to control SARS-CoV-2. Rapid, pragmatic trials of financial incentives for app downloads in real-life settings are warranted.

Association between behavioral phenotypes and sustained use of smartphones and wearable devices to remotely monitor physical activity

Smartphones and wearable devices can be used to remotely monitor health behaviors, but little is known about how individual characteristics influence sustained use of these devices. Leveraging data on baseline activity levels and demographic, behavioral, and psychosocial traits, we used latent class analysis to identify behavioral phenotypes among participants randomized to track physical activity using a smartphone or wearable device for 6 months following hospital discharge. Four phenotypes were identified: (1) more agreeable and conscientious; (2) more active, social, and motivated; (3) more risk-taking and less supported; and (4) less active, social, and risk-taking. We found that duration and consistency of device use differed by phenotype for wearables, but not smartphones. Additionally, "at-risk" phenotypes 3 and 4 were more likely to discontinue use of a wearable device than a smartphone, while activity monitoring in phenotypes 1 and 2 did not differ by device type. These findings could help to better target remote-monitoring interventions for hospitalized patients.

The Role of Behavioral Economics in Improving Cardiovascular Health Behaviors and Outcomes

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Behavioral economics represents a promising set of principles to inform the design of health-promoting interventions. Techniques from the field have the potential to increase quality of cardiovascular care given suboptimal rates of guideline-directed care delivery and patient adherence to optimal health behaviors across the spectrum of cardiovascular care delivery.

RECENT FINDINGS

Cardiovascular health-promoting interventions have demonstrated success in using a wide array of principles from behavioral economics, including loss framing, social norms, and gamification. Such approaches are becoming increasingly sophisticated and focused on clinical cardiovascular outcomes in addition to health behaviors as a primary endpoint. Many approaches can be used to improve patient decisions remotely, which is particularly useful given the shift to virtual care in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Numerous applications for behavioral economics exist in the cardiovascular care delivery space, though more work is needed before we will have a full understanding of ways to best leverage such applications in each clinical context.

Remotely administered incentive-based treatment for alcohol use disorder with participant-funded incentives is effective but less accessible to low-income participants

The delivery of monetary incentives contingent on verified abstinence is an effective treatment for alcohol use disorder. However, incentive cost has often been cited as a barrier to delivering this type of treatment. In the present randomized parallel groups trial, we systematically replicated a previous trial we conducted that employed remote alcohol monitoring and incentive delivery to promote abstinence from alcohol, but with the additional requirement for participants to partially self-fund their abstinence incentives. Treatment-seeking participants with alcohol use disorder (n = 92) who met inclusion criteria (n = 36) were randomized to either a Contingent or Noncontingent group (n = 18 each). Those not meeting inclusion criteria included 15 participants who agreed to the deposit requirement but failed to make the deposit payment. The Contingent group received nearly immediate monetary incentives each day they remotely provided negative breathalyzer samples. The Noncontingent group received matched incentives each day they successfully provided samples independent of alcohol content. Days abstinent in the Contingent group were 86%, which was significantly higher than the 44% recorded in the Noncontingent group, corresponding to an odds ratio of 8.2. Exploratory analyses revealed that the deposit requirement prevented participation in those with lower incomes and those with greater alcohol use. These results support the efficacy of this remotely deliverable alcohol abstinence reinforcement incentive intervention with a deposit requirement. However, the requirement to provide a monetary deposit to self-fund abstinence incentives may prevent those with greater alcohol use and/or those experiencing extreme poverty from participating in the intervention. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Effect of Financial Incentives and Environmental Strategies on Weight Loss in the Healthy Weigh Study: A Randomized Clinical Trial

IMPORTANCE

Modest weight loss can lead to meaningful risk reduction in adults with obesity. Although both behavioral economic incentives and environmental change strategies have shown promise for initial weight loss, to date they have not been combined, or compared, in a randomized clinical trial.

OBJECTIVE

To test the relative effectiveness of financial incentives and environmental strategies, alone and in combination, on initial weight loss and maintenance of weight loss in adults with obesity.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

This randomized clinical trial was conducted from 2015 to 2019 at 3 large employers in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. A 2-by-2 factorial design was used to compare the effects of lottery-based financial incentives, environmental strategies, and their combination vs usual care on weight loss and maintenance. Interventions were delivered via website, text messages, and social media. Participants included adult employees with a body mass index (BMI; weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared) of 30 to 55 and at least 1 other cardiovascular risk factor. Data analysis was performed from June to July 2021.

INTERVENTIONS

Interventions included lottery-based financial incentives based on meeting weight loss goals, environmental change strategies tailored for individuals and delivered by text messages and social media, and combined incentives and environmental strategies.

MAIN OUTCOME AND MEASURES

The primary outcome was weight change from baseline to 18 months, measured in person.

RESULTS

A total of 344 participants were enrolled, with 86 participants each randomized to the financial incentives group, environmental strategies group, combined financial incentives and environmental strategies group, and usual care (control) group. Participants had a mean (SD) age of 45.6 (10.5) years and a mean (SD) BMI of 36.5 (7.1); 247 participants (71.8%) were women, 172 (50.0%) were Black, and 138 (40.1%) were White. At the primary end point of 18 months, participants in the incentives group lost a mean of 5.4 lb (95% CI, -11.3 to 0.5 lb [mean, 2.45 kg; 95% CI, -5.09 to 0.23 kg]), those in the environmental strategies group lost a mean of a 2.2 lb (95% CI, -7.7 to 3.3 lb [mean, 1.00 kg; 95% CI, -3.47 to 1.49 kg]), and the combination group lost a mean of 2.4 lb (95% CI, -8.2 to 3.3 lb [mean, 1.09 kg; 95% CI, -3.69 to 1.49 kg]) more than participants in the usual care group. Financial incentives, environmental change strategies, and their combination were not significantly more effective than usual care. At 24 months, after 6 months without an intervention, the difference in the change from baseline was similar to the 18-month results, with no significant differences among groups.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

In this randomized clinical trial, across all study groups, participants lost a modest amount of weight but those who received financial incentives, environmental change, or the combined intervention did not lose significantly more weight than those in the usual care group. Employees with obesity may benefit from more intensive individualized weight loss strategies.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02878343.

Loss Aversion and Health Behaviors: Results from Two Incentivized Economic Experiments

Experimental research in health economics has analyzed the effects of economic preference parameters such as risk attitude and time preference on the probability of adopting risky health behaviors. However, the existing evidence is mixed and previous research often fails to include controls for other determinants of health behaviors such as personality traits. The aim of this research is to analyze the relationships between an incentivized measure of loss aversion and three health behaviors: smoking, binge drinking, and engaging in physical activity. Loss aversion is a preference measure that has been derived from prospect theory as an alternative approach to analyze decision-making under risk, such as the decision to invest in health capital, and has never been used in an analysis of the determinants of health behaviors before. Using two experimental samples of college students in the Republic of Korea and the United States of America, and controlling for Big Five personality traits and a host of individual-level control variables, there are no statistically significant relationships between loss aversion and the three aforementioned health behaviors, but relationships for Big Five conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. A candidate explanation might be lack of domain independence for loss aversion. Differences between the Korean and the US samples indicate the possibility of intercultural differences.

Financial incentives and wearable activity monitors to increase ambulation after cystectomy: A randomized controlled trial

OBJECTIVES

Financial incentive programs are effective in increasing physical activity for overweight, ambulatory adults. We sought to determine the potential effect size and direction of financial incentives on ambulation after radical cystectomy.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We performed a pilot randomized controlled trial of daily financial incentives to meet postoperative step goals among adults with Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status ≤2 who underwent radical cystectomy for bladder cancer at a single center. Step counts were measured over a 3- to 14-day preoperative period and 30-day postoperative period using a wearable activity monitor. Postoperative daily step goals of 10%, 25%, 40%, and 55% of mean preoperative daily step counts were set for postoperative weeks 1 through 4, respectively. The primary outcome was the number of postoperative days on which the step goals were met. Secondary outcomes included the number of daily postoperative steps taken and the length of stay. Participants randomized to the intervention arm received $1.50 for every day the goal was met with a 20% chance of a $100 reward if the step goal was met on >75% of the first 30 postoperative days. Questionnaires assessing self-reported physical activity, disability, and social support were administered preoperatively at 30 days postoperatively.

RESULTS

Thirty-three patients were analyzed, 11 in the control and 22 in the intervention arms. There were no statistically significant differences between incentive and control arms for the primary outcome (4.5/30 days vs. 9/30 days, P = 0.53). Results after adjusting for differences in baseline characteristics were similar (RR 1.00, 95% CI 0.24-4.19, P = 1.00). There were also no differences in average daily postoperative steps (median 979 vs. 1191, 95% CI -810 to 1,400, P = 0.59), length of stay (7.5 vs. 7, 95% CI -2.7 to 5.1, P = 0.56), or self-reported measures of disability, activity, and social support.

CONCLUSIONS

While this trial was a pilot study and not powered to detect a difference between groups, there was no suggestion of any clinically important impact of this financial incentive on postoperative ambulation. While a fully-powered trial is feasible, given the small range of plausible benefit, such a trial would be unlikely to influence clinical practice.

One Size Does Not Fit All: Financial Incentives Needed to Change Physical Exercise Levels for Different Groups

This study estimated the distribution of willingness to accept (WTA) for a physical activity behavior change intervention entailing the completion of 10,000 steps/day to shed light on which levels of incentives trigger a change in behavior for different proportions of the population and for more at-risk subgroups. An online contingent valuation (CV) survey was administered to 1,130 respondents in the Basque Autonomous Community, Spain. The survey queried respondents about their physical activity levels and intention to engage in physical activity before presenting the WTA questions. Nonparametric WTA values were estimated for the whole sample and for subsamples of active, inactive, and overweight and obese people. One-quarter of respondents would engage with the hypothetical program even without payment, but if a monetary incentive was offered them, they would take it. The median WTA for committing to complete 10,000 steps/day is €0.23 for the full sample, €0.21 for active, €0.25 for inactive, and €0.23 for overweight and obese people. The WTA at 75th percentile is €4 for the full sample, €1.70 for active, €10.80 for inactive, and €5 for overweight and obese respondents. WTA is positively affected by a person's lack of disposable time to increase their physical activity and, for inactive people, by their poor intention to become physically active.

Behavioral weight loss in emerging adults: Design and rationale for the Richmond Emerging Adults Choosing Health (REACH) randomized clinical trial

BACKGROUND

In the U.S., over 40% of 18-25 year olds meet criteria for overweight or obesity. Yet, no large-scale trials have targeted this age group for behavioral weight loss (BWL). Formative data revealed that existing BWL programs do not meet their unique needs and identified motivation as a fundamental barrier for weight management. The goal of the Richmond Emerging Adults Choosing Health (REACH) trial was to test the efficacy of two mHealth lifestyle interventions specifically focused on enhancing motivation, relative to adapted standard.

METHODS

Participants (N = 381, 18-25 years, body mass index 25-45 kg/m²) will be randomized to 1) adapted BWL (aBWL), 2) aBWL + self-determination theory (aBWL+SDT), or 3) aBWL + behavioral economics (aBWL+BE). All arms will receive a 6-month intervention, delivered via one group session and one individual session, followed by an mHealth platform. Assessments will occur at baseline, 3-months, 6-months (post-treatment) and 12-months (following a no-contact period). The primary aim is to compare weight loss outcomes at 6 months. Secondary aims include changes at 6-months in physical and behavioral cardiometabolic risk factors, as well as psychosocial measures. We will also explore weight loss maintenance, change in hypothesized mediators, and moderators of treatment response.

DISCUSSION

REACH is the first large-scale BWL trial designed specifically for emerging adults. Further, it will be the first trial to compare a lifestyle intervention grounded in self-determination theory to one rooted in behavioral economics. If clinically significant reductions in adiposity are achieved, findings could inform a scalable treatment model to meet the needs of this vulnerable population.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

NCT02736981.

Do low-cost economic incentives motivate healthy behavior?

We conducted a field experiment to test the effectiveness of a conditional, low-cost, and recurring financial incentive in motivating recreation center visits. Results indicate that the financial incentive did not motivate students' recreation center visits. However, it was successful in increasing the frequency of recreation center visits for female students who had an established exercise habit. For a payout of $0.50, we estimate an increase of 0.4 visits per week for female students with established exercise habits. This provides modest evidence that the financial incentive structure was able to increase the behavioral response at the intensive margin. Our results show that the design of our financial incentive was not effective on the extensive margin. There was also no effect of the financial incentive on the recreation center visits for male students.

Motivations to exercise in young men following a residential weight loss programme conducted in National Service - a mixed methods study

Background

Physical activity is a critical component of lifestyle interventions to reduce body weight and maintain weight loss. The goal of this study was to examine the motivations to exercise in young men following a 5-month residential weight loss programme conducted in the Singapore military as part of National Service.

Methods

We conducted a sequential mixed methods study starting with three focus groups comprising 21 programme instructors. Fifteen former programme participants aged 20.8 years (±1.4) with an average body mass index (BMI) of 29.3 kg/m² (±4.6) were interviewed in-depth over a total duration of 9 h. Another 487 current programme participants aged 20.8 years (±1.1), BMI 27.1 kg/m² (±2.6), completed a survey on weight loss, physical fitness, and motivations to exercise using the Behaviours Regulating Exercise Questionnaire (BREQ-3). Qualitative data was coded thematically using the six constructs of exercise motivation described by self-determination theory: amotivation, external, introjected, identified and integrated regulation and intrinsic motivation. Quotes from interviewees were cross-tabulated according to their weight maintenance trajectories. BREQ-3 responses were analysed according to initial body mass index (BMI), percentage weight loss and fitness.

Results

Over the course of the residential programme interview and survey participants experienced an average weight loss of 15.6 kg (±6.5) and 13.0 kg (±5.4) respectively. Among the fifteen interviewees seven had gained no more than 34% of initial weight loss 6 months after completing the programme while another eight had gained more than 51%. We elicited three key themes from the data: (1) Barriers to exercise; (2) diminishing extrinsic motivation; and (3) unidentified exercise benefits. The integration of findings uncovered reinforcing motivational patterns in the areas of health, fitness, camaraderie and identified regulation. Narratives of self-acceptance and shift-work environments gave rise to potentially deleterious motivational patterns. Our findings suggest that successful transition from a residential programme to independent weight management requires a more deliberate pivot from predominantly extrinsic to intrinsic motivational approaches.

Conclusion

Residential programmes such as the one investigated here, should develop a deliberate transition strategy, replace weight loss targets with physical performance goals and promote sports that are appropriate for young men affected by overweight and obesity.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-021-10373-z.

Prevention of Urinary Stones With Hydration (PUSH): Design and Rationale of a Clinical Trial

RATIONALE & OBJECTIVE

Although maintaining high fluid intake is an effective low-risk intervention for the secondary prevention of urinary stone disease, many patients with stones do not increase their fluid intake.

STUDY DESIGN

We describe the rationale and design of the Prevention of Urinary Stones With Hydration (PUSH) Study, a randomized trial of a multicomponent behavioral intervention program to increase and maintain high fluid intake. Participants are randomly assigned (1:1 ratio) to the intervention or control arm. The target sample size is 1,642 participants.

SETTING & PARTICIPANTS

Adults and adolescents 12 years and older with a symptomatic stone history and low urine volume are eligible. Exclusion criteria include infectious or monogenic causes of urinary stone disease and comorbid conditions precluding increased fluid intake.

INTERVENTIONS

All participants receive usual care and a smart water bottle with smartphone application. Participants in the intervention arm receive a fluid intake prescription and an adaptive program of behavioral interventions, including financial incentives, structured problem solving, and other automated adherence interventions. Control arm participants receive guideline-based fluid instructions.

OUTCOMES

The primary end point is recurrence of a symptomatic stone during 24 months of follow-up. Secondary end points include changes in radiographic stone burden, 24-hour urine output, and urinary symptoms.

LIMITATIONS

Periodic 24-hour urine volumes may not fully reflect daily behavior.

CONCLUSIONS

With its highly novel features, the PUSH Study will address an important health care problem.

FUNDING

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Registered at ClinicalTrials.gov with study number NCT03244189.

The effects of financial incentives on diabetes prevention program attendance and weight loss among low-income patients: the We Can Prevent Diabetes cluster-randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Penetration and participation of real life implementation of lifestyle change programs to prevent type 2 diabetes has been challenging. This is particularly so among low income individuals in the United States. The purpose of this study is to examine the effectiveness of financial incentives on attendance and weight loss among Medicaid beneficiaries participating in the 12-month Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP).

METHODS

This is a cluster-randomized controlled trial with two financial incentive study arms and an attention control study arm. Medicaid beneficiaries with prediabetes from 13 primary care clinics were randomly assigned to individually earned incentives (IND; 33 groups; n = 309), a hybrid of individual- and group-earned incentives (GRP; 30 groups; n = 259), and an attention control (AC; 30 groups; n = 279). Up to $520 in incentives could be earned for attaining attendance and weight loss goals over 12 months. Outcomes are percent weight loss from baseline, achieving 5% weight loss from baseline, and attending 75% of core and 75% of maintenance DPP sessions. Linear mixed models were used to examine weight change and attendance rates over the 16 weeks and 12 months.

RESULTS

The percent weight change at 16 weeks for the IND, GRP, and AC participants were similar, at - 2.6, - 3.1%, and - 3.4%, respectively. However, participants achieving 5% weight loss in the IND, GRP, and AC groups was 21.5, 24.0% (GRP vs AC, P < 0.05), and 15.2%. Attendance at 75% of the DPP core sessions was significantly higher among IND (60.8%, P < 0.001) and GRP (64.0%, P < 0.001) participants than among AC (38.6%) participants. Despite substantial attrition over time, attendance at 75% of the DPP maintenance sessions was also significantly higher among IND (23.0%, P < 0.001) and GRP (26.1%, P < 0.001) participants than among AC (11.0%) participants.

CONCLUSIONS

Financial incentives can improve the proportion of Medicaid beneficiaries attending the 12-month DPP and achieving at least 5% weight loss.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02422420 ; retrospectively registered April 21, 2015.

Technology-based versus in-person deposit contract treatments for promoting physical activity

Deposit contracts involve participants depositing their own money and earning it back contingent on behavior change. Deposit contracts are empirically supported treatments for promoting health behavior, but they have a history of poor uptake. We compared the effectiveness and acceptability of technology-based versus in-person deposit contracts for promoting physical activity with 12 individuals. Participants' daily step counts were monitored using Fitbits across 6 weeks, and treatment preferences were assessed at the end of the study. The 2 types of treatments were equally effective in increasing physical activity, but the technology-based deposit contracts were preferred by most participants. Most participants also reported that their preference was related to convenience. Technology-based implementation may be one way to improve deposit contract uptake, while maintaining similar effectiveness compared to in-person procedures.

Sustaining the reach of a scalable weight loss intervention through financial incentives- a pragmatic, feasibility, online randomized trial protocol

BACKGROUND

High attrition following initial enrollment in evidence-based weight loss programs is a common, challenging, and under-studied issue. A behavioral economics approach consisting of modest monetary incentives may help to engage participants beyond enrollment to close the initial attrition gap.

PURPOSE

To describe the methods and design of a pragmatic, online randomized controlled trial (RCT) of an incentivized, technology-facilitated weight loss program through an innovative research-practice partnership involving primary care, health promotion researchers, and a small business.

METHODS

This study is a four-arm (1:1:1:1) RCT that compares the efficacy of outcome-based (weight loss), process-based (weighing in), a combination of outcome- and process-based, or choice-based incentives on sustaining program reach after initial enrollment for an evidence-based weight loss program. The multicomponent weight loss program includes a website, social cognitive theory-based daily health coaching, tailored messaging delivered via email and text messaging, access to online health coaches, and objective weight assessment through a community kiosk. The study will enroll 400 individuals aged 19 and older who have a body mass index ≥25 kg/m², and have reliable access to the Internet or a smart phone. Participants will be followed for 3, 6, 9, and 12 months to assess program reach and representativeness, and continued participation after enrollment. The secondary outcomes include weight loss and program implementation costs. We will conduct participant focus groups to understand the barriers and facilitators of participation and key informant interviews focusing on clinic managers and care providers to explore the potential for future adoption and implementation of the evidence-based program.

DISCUSSION

This study possesses the potential to close the attrition gap after initial enrollment in a web-based digital weight loss intervention in the primary care and community settings. Clinicaltrials.gov registration: NCT04225234.

The Effect of Individual Time Preferences on Smoking Behavior: Insights from Behavioral Economics

BACKGROUND

We aimed to explore the correlation between the time and risk preferences and the smoking behavior of adult population in western Iran.

METHODS

Overall, 792 individuals with the age of 35 to 65 yr participating in an ongoing national cohort study (Persian Cohort) were approached to complete a pre-structured questionnaire in 2017. Time preferences were measured using a standard choice-based method. The individuals' discount rates were identified by questions that offered binary monetary choices on immediate future and distant future, by making trade-offs between them. Probit regression model was used to investigate the relationship between time preferences and smoking when controlling for demographic and socioeconomic variables.

RESULTS

Time and risk preferences had statistically significant direct correlations with smoking. A unit increase in discount rate was associated with a 4.4% percentage point increase in the likelihood of being smoker. A present-biased individual had 5.7% percentage points lower likelihood of being smoker. Moreover, a unit increase in willingness to take the risk increased the likelihood of being a smoker by 1.5% percentage points.

CONCLUSION

Time and risk preferences are important determinants of smoking behavior. These factors should be considered in designing effective prevention and control programs. Policies that increase the immediate costs of cigarette smoking or the immediate benefits of smoking cessation are likely to have a greater impact on reducing the prevalence of cigarette smoking.