Incentive-based interventions, utilizing principles from behavioral economics, significantly increased physical activity among individuals at risk for cardiovascular diseases. This year-long study demonstrated sustained improvements in daily steps and physical activity levels, offering a potent strategy for reducing cardiovascular risks.
“This is one of the largest and longest-duration randomized trials of a home-based intervention to promote physical activity,” said Alexander Fanaroff, MD, assistant professor of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine and lead author of the study.
At study entry, participants’ average daily step count was about 5,000. Each participant was asked to choose whether their goal was to increase their daily step count by 33%, 40%, 50% or at least 1,500 steps more than their level at study entry. Previous studies have shown that when people choose their own goal, they are more likely to achieve it, Fanaroff said.
A total of 954 participants completed the entire 18-month study. At 12 months, compared with the control group, mean daily step counts for participants in the gamification group increased by 538 steps more, and in the financial incentives group by 491 steps more. For participants who received both interventions, mean daily step counts increased by 868 steps more than the control group.
No previous fully home-based intervention to promote physical activity lasted longer than 24 weeks or had a total follow-up of longer than 36 weeks, he said. Participants’ engagement with the study remained high throughout the study period, he said. “Over the 18-month follow-up period, step counts were uploaded on more than 80% of participant days,” he said.
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