Incentives for Exercise: Sean Spilsbury's Game-Changing Research

Krissy Vann | Host, All Things Fitness and Wellness

A recent research study conducted by the University of Western Ontario has uncovered a noteworthy link between financial incentives and exercise routines. Published in Journal of the American Medical Association, this study, led by researcher Sean Spilsbury, has the potential to reshape how we view and promote physical activity.

With more than 580,000 Canadians across three provinces participating, the focus was on encouraging individuals to enhance their daily step counts through a step-counting app. Participants were offered incentives in the form of gas cards, movie tickets, and other rewards to boost their physical activity levels.

What sets this study apart is what happened after the incentives were removed. Typically, one might expect individuals to revert to their old habits, but the results told a different story. Even after a year of receiving these incentives, when the rewards were taken away, most participants continued to walk nearly as much as they did during the incentive period.

On average, the app helped participants add approximately 900 steps to their daily routines, and this number doubled for those who were initially physically inactive. Surprisingly, when the incentives vanished, the step counts dipped by only about 200 steps, a figure that researchers considered "not clinically significant."

The study may have far-reaching implications for public policy and the fitness industry as a whole. It suggests that incentivizing physical activity, even with monetary rewards, can have a lasting impact on exercise habits. Governments, corporations, and wellness programs might find this approach to be not only effective but also cost-efficient and sustainable.

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