%0 Journal Article
%@ 1438-8871
%I JMIR Publications Inc.
%V 16
%N 7
%P e179
%T On Supplementing “Foot in the Door” Incentives for eHealth Program Engagement
%A Mitchell,Marc Steven
%A Faulkner,Guy E
%+ Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education, Graduate Department of Exercise Sciences, University of Toronto, Athletic Center, 55 Harbord St, Toronto, ON, M5S 2W6, Canada, 1 416 660 7881, marc.mitchell@uhn.ca
%K cardiovascular risk
%K prevention
%K rewards
%D 2014
%7 25.07.2014
%9 Editorial
%J J Med Internet Res
%G English
%X Financial health incentives, such as paying people to lose weight, are being widely implemented by Western nations and large corporations. A growing number of studies have tested the impact of incentives on health behaviors, though few have evaluated the approach on a population-scale. In this issue of the Journal of Medical Internet Research, Liu et al add to the evidence-base by examining whether a single incentive can motivate enrollment and engagement in a preventive eHealth program in a sample of 142,726 Canadian adults. While the incentives increased enrollment significantly (by a factor of about 28), a very high level of program attrition was noted (90%). The “foot in the door” incentive technique employed was insufficient; enrollees received incentives for signing-up for, but not for engaging with, the eHealth program. To supplement this technique and drive sustained behavior change, several theoretically- and empirically-based strategies are proposed. Specifically, incentives indexed to behavioral achievements over time are highlighted as one approach to boost engagement in this population in the future.
%M 25092221
%R 10.2196/jmir.3701
%U http://www.jmir.org/2014/7/e179/
%U https://doi.org/10.2196/jmir.3701
%U http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25092221