Behavioral Economics-Based Online Lifestyle Balance Program

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Weight Reduction
• Interventions: Behavioral: Incentive for Education; Behavioral: Incentive for Weight Loss

• Registration Number: NCT03534336
• Lead Sponsor: National University of Singapore

Brief Summary

The objective of this project is to design a Behavioral Economics Based Online Lifestyle Balance Program that employs behavioral economics to engage and motivate adherence to an Internet-based program. The investigators compare the effects of two financial incentives on inducing weight loss: a direct financial incentive for weight loss and a financial incentive for health literacy.

Detailed Description

This project investigates whether participants in an online weight loss program can be induced to achieve weight loss using financial incentives. The study is a 3-arm randomized controlled trial (RCT) stratified by gender. The goal is to examine how overweight individuals respond to two different types of financial incentives. The first type of incentive, incentive for weight loss (IW), is a cash award of approximately $150 given for achieving 5% weight loss over 12 weeks. The second type of incentive, incentive for education (IE), is a $150 award for passing quizzes that test the participants' health literacy about weight loss and the techniques required for maintaining a healthy lifestyle. The investigators compare the effectiveness of IW to IE in promoting weight loss in overweight individuals and investigate whether the two incentives work equally well for men and women.

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2015-10-12
• Primary Completion: 2016-06-22
• Study Completion: 2016-06-22
• Study First Submitted: 2018-05-11
• Study First Submitted QC: 2018-05-11
• Study First Posted: 2018-05-23
• Status Verified: 2018-08
• Last Update Submitted: 2018-08-20
• Last Update Posted: 2018-08-22

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 710

Inclusion Criteria

• BMI between 23 and 33
• Age between 40 and 60 years old

Exclusion Criteria

• History of diabetes
• History of significant cardiovascular disease
• Family history of atherosclerosis
• High blood pressure
• Significant lung disease

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: FACTORIAL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Incentive for Education	Incentive for Education	Same 12-week, self-administered online weight loss program as in the Control arm. Each participant is also given a $150 "Incentive for Education" for passing at least nine quizzes by the end of the program.
Incentive for Weight Loss	Incentive for Weight Loss	Same 12-week, self-administered online weight loss program as in the Control arm. Each participant is also given a $150 "Incentive for Weight Loss" for losing 5% of their baseline body weight.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Weight Loss at the end of the weight loss program (at Week 13)	At week 13 of the RCT.	Weight measured at the Week 13 weigh-in session. Weight measurements are taken by trained research assistants using digital scales.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Weight Loss at the end of the post-intervention period (Week 25)	At week 25 of the RCT.	Weight measured at the Week 25 weigh-in session. Weight measurements are taken by trained research assistants using digital scales.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

National University of Singapore; 🇸🇬 Singapore, Singapore