The Rising Use of Incentives For Healthy Behavior in the US

Source: British Medical Journal, April 2, 2014 In a feature article in BMJ, Kevin Volpp says there is “increased interest in both public and private sectors in using incentives to increase healthy behaviours”  and reveals the key components of a successful financial incentive scheme: “simplicity, saliency, and relatively immediate feedback.” The article also cites research conduced by Volpp and colleagues that showed a significant rise in participation in health risk assessments when financial incentives in the form of a lottery were offered.