Are your loved ones battling with obesity unsuccessfully? Then, here is a sure fire way of seeing their pounds shed off. Instead of nagging them to get off the couch and exercise, motivate them by bribing with cash incentives for every pound they lose and this should do the trick!
Yes, if the latest study is to be believed, people are willing to go to push themselves and work towards weight loss when you offer cash incentives. No, the incentives need not be a high amount; even a small amount of $7 per pound is enough to get them going.
A group of over two hundred overweight employees in North Carolina were involved in the study. The employees were divided into three groups, of which, one group was not offered incentives, and the other two groups were offered incentives of $7 or $14 for each percentage of weight lost. What’s more, they were offered no help with diet or fitness tips.
At the end of three months, those who were offered $14 lost the highest percentage of weight, followed by those who were offered $7 and the least weight loss occurred in the group who were offered no incentives at all.
The study is still an ongoing one with the scientists following them up to check if they maintained the weight loss once the incentives were stopped.
The idea is a great one especially for employers who have bear the health care costs of obesity related diseases of the employees. In fact, the over all cost of the incentives could be far less than the health care costs they have to shell out. What’s more, slimmer employees mean less sick leaves and better productivity!
So, do we see the employees laughing all the way to the banks? Or is it the employers?
