The Effectiveness of Incentives in Workplace Health Promotion Programs: A Systematic Review
Abstract
Background. American adults spend a significant amount of their waking hours in a worksite setting making these settings an ideal location for health interventions. These interventions may be used to address a multitude of health behaviors including smoking, physical inactivity, and weight loss. Many employers currently offer workplace health promotion programs to their employees. The objective of this review was to examine the evidence on the effectiveness workplace health promotion programs that are based on incentives in changing health related behaviors among adults 18-65 years of age in office worksites in the United States. Methods. This review follows the PRISMA guidelines. To be eligible for inclusion studies had to take place in an office worksite settings in the US and include incentives in their worksite wellness programs. An online database search using Medline (Ovid) and PubMed (National Library of Medicine) was performed using search terms such as workplace, incentive, reward, health promotion, health programs, and wellness. Results. A total of 14 studies were chosen for inclusion in the review. Three of the 14 studies were prior reviews. Four of the primary studies were random control trials (RCTs); the rest included retrospective studies, an observational design, a pilot study, a natural experiment, and a case study. The most common outcomes were weight related and physical activity measures. All but one of the primary studies reported positive results. Discussion. Most programs utilized financial incentives along with educational materials or health coaching, and focused on improving health-related behaviors like dietary and exercise habits. Most studies reported a positive impact on measured outcomes, but only four of the studies were RCTs. Conclusion. The evidence from the studies included in this review suggests that the use of incentives in workplace health promotion programs is a feasible and promising practice. A majority of the interventions in these studies saw a positive effect from the use of incentives. However, this review was unable to determine what incentive type, amount, or structure was most effective and further investigation is recommended.
Subject Area
Behavioral psychology
Recommended Citation
Spencer, Emily, "The Effectiveness of Incentives in Workplace Health Promotion Programs: A Systematic Review" (2018). Texas Medical Center Dissertations (via ProQuest). AAI10790651.
https://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/dissertations/AAI10790651