Question: In adults of a working age, how effective are financial or voucher incentives compared to any other intervention / treatment as usual, for managing obesity or promoting healthy weight management?

Answer:

No definite clinical implications can be made from the available evidence. There was consensus that more research is needed to compare different types of financial incentives using well-designed, long-term, controlled trials. In addition, components of motivation need to be measured to determine how motivation shapes one's reaction to incentives and how motives and incentives interact. Future studies should also compare the effects of incentives across socioeconomic groups. Lastly, the authors of one systematic review stated that there is an indication that group weight loss goals and incentives may be more effective than individual weight loss goals and incentives, and more research is needed in this area. One systematic review author recommended that financial incentives should not be used as a therapy in itself, but as an adjuvant to treatment.