Shed pounds to gain pounds – that unique incentive appears to be all the motivation groups of slimmers need to lose weight, according to research. And when slimmers are invited to compete as part of a group, they’re more likely to lose even more weight.
The US study split 105 obese hospital employees into three groups: members of the first group were offered an individual incentive for weight loss; members of the second were offered a group-based incentive but were not told who else was part of the group; and the third was not offered any reward at all for weight loss.
By the end of the five-month study, those offered the group-based incentive had lost an average 10.6lbs compared to an average 3.7lbs for the group offered individual incentives. In contrast, the members of the group offered no financial carrot for weight loss had only lost an average of just over 1lb each.
The study was carried out by the University of Michigan Medicine School and the Ann Arbor VA Healthcare System and published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine. It concluded that weight loss was more achievable when slimmers were told their prize for reaching their goal would be given to someone else if they didn’t achieve it.
This research confirms the findings of previous studies that have demonstrated the effectiveness of weight-loss incentives while also suggesting that introducing an element of competitiveness can also motivate group members to stick to the program.
As obesity becomes an increasing problem in the developed world, more companies are becoming proactive in encouraging employees to lose weight. The latest US research suggests financial incentives could be one of their best motivating tools.
Comments are closed.