Tools- of Changes

Short-Term Incentives For Exercise Can Lead To Sustained Increases In Activity

Adults with heart disease risks who received daily reminders or incentives to become more active increased their daily steps by more than 1,500 after a year, and many were still sticking with their new habit six months later. A simple daily reminder was effective in helping people move more. Financial incentives or point-based rewards, such as in a game, increased activity levels even more, and combining the two proved most effective. Only those who received a reminder and both kinds of incentives still showed elevated activity levels six months after the rewards stopped.

Researchers tracked over 1,000 adults at high risk for major cardiovascular events. They gave participants a wearable fitness tracker. Participants set a goal to increase their daily steps by over 1,500 steps, then were randomized into one of four groups.

Three of the four groups offered incentives.

1. Game Group: Participants in this group got points each week, but lost some of these points when they didn't meet their goals. Those with enough points moved up a level and those without  moved down a level. Those reaching the highest levels by the end of the experiment also earned trophies.
2. Financial Group: Participants in this group received $14 a week, and lost $2 a day when they missed their goals.
3. Combined Incentives Group: Those in this group got both  game-like and financial incentives.
4. Control Group: Those in this group only got daily messages 

Compared to those in the Control Group, those in the Game Group walked 538 steps more a day, and those in the Financial Group walked 492 more steps. Those in the Combined Incentives Group walked 868 extra steps - and maintained 576 more steps a day six months later. Those in the other three groups maintained  increased activity levels, but the effect was not significant compared with the control group.