A new US study finds that while paying people to lose weight works, even better is when they compete for it.
Published April 1 in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine, the study finds that cash and competition are ideal incentives for dropping excess weight in a short amount of time. However, it's still not clear whether participants will keep the weight off.
Dr. Jeffrey Kullgren of the University of Michigan and his team separated 104 overweight subjects into one of three groups. One group had the prize of $100 for meeting individual weight-loss goals at four weeks, eight weeks, 12 weeks, 16 weeks, and 20 weeks. The second group's participants were divided into groups of five but not told the identity of their fellow group members. They were also offered the prize of $100 every four weeks for meeting their weight-loss goals, in addition to the chance to earn more cash if other members in the group didn't have success.
The control group, like the other groups, were simply given information on weight loss and scheduled for monthly weigh-ins.
Findings showed that after 24 weeks, the competitive weight-loss group lost about seven pounds more than the individual group, and 10 pounds more than the control group.
Last month, a separate study presented at the American College of Cardiology meeting in San Francisco revealed that getting paid $20 a month for losing four pounds -- with the risk of getting charged $20 for not losing weight -- helped subjects reach their weight-loss goals.
Earning cash to lose weight proves a mighty incentive
A new US study finds that while paying people to lose weight works, even better is when they compete for it.
Published April 1 in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine, the study finds that cash and competition are ideal incentives for dropping excess weight in a short amount of time. However, it's still not clear whether participants will keep the weight off.
Dr. Jeffrey Kullgren of the University of Michigan and his team separated 104 overweight subjects into one of three groups. One group had the prize of $100 for meeting individual weight-loss goals at four weeks, eight weeks, 12 weeks, 16 weeks, and 20 weeks. The second group's participants were divided into groups of five but not told the identity of their fellow group members. They were also offered the prize of $100 every four weeks for meeting their weight-loss goals, in addition to the chance to earn more cash if other members in the group didn't have success.
The control group, like the other groups, were simply given information on weight loss and scheduled for monthly weigh-ins.
Findings showed that after 24 weeks, the competitive weight-loss group lost about seven pounds more than the individual group, and 10 pounds more than the control group.
Last month, a separate study presented at the American College of Cardiology meeting in San Francisco revealed that getting paid $20 a month for losing four pounds -- with the risk of getting charged $20 for not losing weight -- helped subjects reach their weight-loss goals.
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