Move more, quit smoking, lose weight: great resolutions, but hard to stick to. But would it be easier if there were financial incentives in return? Research from Radboud University and others suggests that although there are still some obstacles, it can be an effective tool. They published their findings this week in the Economisch Statistische Berichten (ESB).
Some lifestyle interventions are more effective than others, but in general financial incentives are “a powerful tool to help reduce health inequalities in the Netherlands,” says Cohen van der Radboud University. Swallow said. Although more and more is being learned about the effectiveness of financial incentives to promote lifestyle, they remain largely underused. Health insurance company ASR discontinued its healthy behavior rewards program earlier this year. Together with colleagues Stefan Lipman (Erasmus University) and David de Buisonjé (Delft University of Technology, Leiden University), Van der Swaluw mapped the barriers to introducing rewards for healthy behaviors.
“A common argument against financial incentives is that they have limited long-term effects. Will someone continue with the changed behavior once the incentive ends? There are opportunities for follow-up research. “There is,” van der Swarou said. “For example, programs with long-term effects to discourage smoking during pregnancy have been successful.”
Soccer, not opera
ASR has changed its rewards program because it is primarily used by active people. “But if you align rewards with the wishes of people who are not yet active, you probably have a better chance. What we see in the literature review is that rewards don’t necessarily match the recipients. Simply put, instead of giving away tickets to the opera, for example, give away tickets to a soccer match.”Finally, there is often concern about the cost of financial incentives.
Van der Swaluw et al. suggest that financial incentives such as therapeutic care could be reimbursed by population health plans if they are proven to be cost-effective based on social cost-benefit analysis. are. Employers can play a role in encouraging healthy behavior and may even cover (some of the costs).
There is no panacea
Researchers say the effectiveness of incentives is becoming increasingly clear, but they should not be seen as a panacea. “They are in no way a substitute for policies that target the structural aspects of unhealthy behaviors, such as physical activity and food supply in the area you live in, poverty, cultural influences, national or international laws and regulations. behavior is, and continues to be, the result of the interaction of individual behavior and environmental influences.
Follow-up survey
From November 2024, Van der Swarou and his colleagues will launch the SPRINTS (“Sports Pricing Survey to Increase Participation in Sports”) project in collaboration with Han University of Applied Sciences and others, to increase prices in sports and exercise. We plan to investigate how this will affect participation. They previously published a study on rewards for quitting smoking, published in BMC Public Health.
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Radboud University Nijmegen
