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Personal financial incentives for changing habitual health-related behaviors: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Mantzari, E; Vogt, F; Shemilt, I; Wei, Y; Higgins, JP; Marteau, TM; (2015) Personal financial incentives for changing habitual health-related behaviors: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Preventive Medicine , 75 pp. 75-85. 10.1016/j.ypmed.2015.03.001. Green open access

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Abstract

OBJECTIVES: Uncertainty remains about whether personal financial incentives could achieve sustained changes in health-related behaviors that would reduce the fast-growing global non-communicable disease burden. This review aims to estimate whether: i. financial incentives achieve sustained changes in smoking, eating, alcohol consumption and physical activity; ii. effectiveness is modified by (a) the target behavior, (b) incentive value and attainment certainty, (c) recipients' deprivation level. METHODS: Multiple sources were searched for trials offering adults financial incentives and assessing outcomes relating to pre-specified behaviors at a minimum of six months from baseline. Analyses included random-effects meta-analyses and meta-regressions grouped by timed endpoints. RESULTS: Of 24,265 unique identified articles, 34 were included in the analysis. Financial incentives increased behavior-change, with effects sustained until 18months from baseline (OR: 1.53, 95% CI 1.05-2.23) and three months post-incentive removal (OR: 2.11, 95% CI 1.21-3.67). High deprivation increased incentive effects (OR: 2.17; 95% CI 1.22-3.85), but only at >6-12months from baseline. Other assessed variables did not independently modify effects at any time-point. CONCLUSIONS: Personal financial incentives can change habitual health-related behaviors and help reduce health inequalities. However, their role in reducing disease burden is potentially limited given current evidence that effects dissipate beyond three months post-incentive removal.

Type: Article
Title: Personal financial incentives for changing habitual health-related behaviors: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Location: United States
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2015.03.001
Publisher version: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2015.03.001
Language: English
Additional information: This work is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. You are free to share (copy, distribute and transmit the work), but you must attribute the author, you may not use this work for commercial purposes and you may not alter, transform, or build upon this work and distribute any derivative works you create under a similar license. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Keywords: Financial incentives, Health promotion, Health-related behavior, Meta-analysis, Systematic review, Adult, Financing, Personal, Habits, Health Behavior, Humans, Motivation, Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education > IOE - Social Research Institute
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1475804
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