Paying employees to get a health check once made them likelier to return later
Who it’s about: Workers, Adults
- Helped
Staff offered one payment for a health check were a little likelier to go back in the next two years.
Large randomised trial of 4,799 university employees in the US · vs staff who were offered no payment · behaviour was recorded · ⚠ not yet checked by other scientists; numbers unreliable
- Helped
One past health check made people about 33 in 100 more likely to go again; more checks added nothing.
Large randomised trial of 4,799 university employees in the US · vs staff who had not had a check before · behaviour was recorded · ⚠ not yet checked by other scientists; numbers unreliable
The study
Who took part
4,799 staff at a university in Illinois, USA, were counted, out of 4,834 who started. About 4 in 10 were men.
What they did
Each year, staff were invited to a health check on campus. It took one visit to measure weight, blood pressure and blood, and they went over the results with a health coach. Each year a draw decided whether a person was offered $75 to $200 for going, or nothing. The first group of staff had three yearly chances, from 2016 to 2018, and a second group had two.
What happened
The 2016 payment got about 12 more in every 100 people to go that year. In each of the next two years, it still got about 4 more in 100 to go. By then that payment no longer applied. Going once before raised the chance of going in 2018 by about 33 in 100. Going more than once added nothing extra. The 2016 payment also required an online health questionnaire and came with wellness activities. Other scientists haven't checked this paper yet, and some of its numbers don't match. The habit analysis also wasn't planned in advance.
Source
How Do Habits Form? Experimental Evidence from Health Screenings (2024)
DOI: 10.3386/w32745 (opens in a new tab)Tools in this study
Rule · how5
Get a reward or payment for doing itIncentives, prizes, lotteries or points for doing it.
