NCT04618757

Trial Evaluating Hedonic vs Cash Incentives

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 310 (actual)
• Sponsor: Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 21 Years – 70 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

This study aims to determine, using a randomized trial with two parallel arms, whether hedonic rewards (Arm 1) can be more effective than their cash equivalent (Arm 2) in motivating participants to meet step goals.

Detailed description

The evidence is overwhelming that sustained physical activity reduces risks for non-communicable diseases, increases longevity, and reduces medical costs. Yet, the rates of physical activity have been steadily decreasing such that physical inactivity is now the fourth leading cause of death worldwide. In Singapore, 33% of adults are insufficiently active despite Singapore being a highly walkable city with numerous subsidized community-based physical activity programs. A review of the literature shows that, to date, no study has directly compared cash versus hedonic rewards for health behavior change despite theory suggesting hedonic rewards may work better. Furthermore, hedonic rewards can often be purchased at lower cost than their cash equivalent. This makes hedonic rewards potentially more cost-effective if they are proven to be at least as effective at increasing positive behavior change compared to giving the same value in cash. Thus, we aim to determine, using a randomized trial with two parallel arms, whether hedonic rewards (Arm 1) can be more effective than their cash equivalent (Arm 2) in promoting increases in physical activity, assessed via step counts measured by a Fitbit physical activity tracker, during a 4-calendar month intervention. We hypothesize that the average proportion of months meeting the incentivized step target across participants will be greater for those in the hedonic incentive arm as compared to those in the cash incentive arm (primary outcome).

Conditions

• Physical Activity

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Hedonic Reward	A reimbursement credit for hedonic expenses worth up to $50 will be awarded to each participant if they log at least 10,000 daily steps on at least 25 days during the first 28 days of each calendar month on Fitbit activity trackers provided by the study.
BEHAVIORAL	Cash Reward	A reimbursement credit for $50 in cash will be awarded to each participant if they log at least 10,000 daily steps on at least 25 days during the first 28 days of each calendar month on Fitbit activity trackers provided by the study.
DEVICE	Fitbit	Fitbit devices are wireless pedometers that track the steps of participants, and will be offered in conjunction with a tailored website with customized information for participants.

Timeline

• Start date: 2022-11-18
• Primary completion: 2023-08-31
• Completion: 2023-08-31
• First posted: 2020-11-06
• Last updated: 2023-09-29

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Singapore