Impact of Financial Incentives on Behavior Change Program Participation and Risk Reduction in Worksite Health Promotion

Abstract Purpose. To examine the impact of financial incentives on behavior change program registration, completion, and risk improvement rates. Design. Retrospective cohort study conducted to observe the relationship between financial incentives and behavior change program registration, completion, and risk improvement rates. Setting. Large public- or private-sector employers. Subjects. Twenty-four organizations (n = 511,060 eligible employees) that offered comprehensive worksite health promotion (WHP) programs. Intervention. Financial incentives offered for completion of a behavior change program as part of a WHP program. Measures. Behavior change program registration and completion data were obtained from standard reports. Company-level risk change was calculated from the average per-person number of risks on baseline and follow-up health risk assessments. Incentive design was determined from questionnaires completed by WHP program managers. Analysis. Average registration rates, program completion rate...