PURPOSE: To examine the impact of financial incentives on behavior change program registration, completion, and risk improvement rates. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study conducted to observe the relationship between financial incentives and behavior change program registration, completion, and risk improvement rates. SETTING: Large public- or private-sector employers. SUBJECTS: Twenty-four organizations (n = 511,060 eligible employees) that offered comprehensive worksite health promotion (WHP) programs. INTERVENTION: Financial incentives offered for completion of a behavior change program as part of a WHP program. MEASURES: Behavior change program registration and completion data were obtained from standard reports. Company-level risk change was calculated from the average per-person number of risks on baseline and follow-up health risk assessments. Incentive design was determined from questionnaires completed by WHP program managers. ANALYSIS: Average registration rates, program completion rates, and risk improvement rates were compared using t-tests for companies that did versus did not offer incentives. Comparisons were also made between companies with incentives of less than $100 and those with incentives of $100 or more. Correlations between incentive value and outcome variables were assessed using Pearson correlations. RESULTS: Companies that offered incentives had significantly higher health coaching completion rates than companies not offering an incentive (82.9% vs. 76.4%, respectively, p = .017) but there was no significant association with registration (p = .384) or risk improvement rates (p = .242). Incentive values were not significantly associated with risk improvement rates (p = .240). CONCLUSION: Offering incentives for completing behavior change programs may increase completion rates, but increased health improvement does not necessarily follow.
PURPOSE: To examine the impact of financial incentives on behavior change program registration, completion, and risk improvement rates. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study conducted to observe the relationship between financial incentives and behavior change program registration, completion, and risk improvement rates. SETTING: Large public- or private-sector employers. SUBJECTS: Twenty-four organizations (n = 511,060 eligible employees) that offered comprehensive worksite health promotion (WHP) programs. INTERVENTION: Financial incentives offered for completion of a behavior change program as part of a WHP program. MEASURES: Behavior change program registration and completion data were obtained from standard reports. Company-level risk change was calculated from the average per-person number of risks on baseline and follow-up health risk assessments. Incentive design was determined from questionnaires completed by WHP program managers. ANALYSIS: Average registration rates, program completion rates, and risk improvement rates were compared using t-tests for companies that did versus did not offer incentives. Comparisons were also made between companies with incentives of less than $100 and those with incentives of $100 or more. Correlations between incentive value and outcome variables were assessed using Pearson correlations. RESULTS: Companies that offered incentives had significantly higher health coaching completion rates than companies not offering an incentive (82.9% vs. 76.4%, respectively, p = .017) but there was no significant association with registration (p = .384) or risk improvement rates (p = .242). Incentive values were not significantly associated with risk improvement rates (p = .240). CONCLUSION: Offering incentives for completing behavior change programs may increase completion rates, but increased health improvement does not necessarily follow.
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