Small Cash Rewards for Big Losers : Experimental Insights into the Fight against the Obesity Epidemic

Augurzky, Boris ; Bauer, Thomas K. ; Reichert, Arndt R. ; Schmidt, Christoph M. ; Tauchmann, Harald

World Bank, Washington, DC

关键词: PHARMACY;    TREATMENT;    FLOW;    EATING DISORDERS;    TIME;   

DOI  :  10.1596/1813-9450-7339
RP-ID  :  WPS7339

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: World Bank Open Knowledge Repository

【 摘 要 】

This paper examines the sustainabilityof weight loss achieved through cash rewards and, for thefirst time, the potential of monetary incentives to preventweight cycling. In a three period randomized controlledtrial, about 700 obese persons were assigned to twotreatment groups, which were promised different cash rewardscontingent on the achievement of an individually assignedtarget weight, and to a control group. Successfulparticipants were subsequently allocated to two treatmentgroups offered different monetary incentives for maintainingthe previously achieved target weight and to a controlgroup. This is the first experiment of this kind that findssustainable effects of weight loss rewards on the bodyweight of the obese even 18 months after the rewards wereremoved. Additional incentives to maintain an achieved bodyweight improve the sustainability of weight loss only whileare in place.