PreventionNCT00891111
Incentives for Preventative Health Care: Increasing Completion of Health Risk Assessments
A study testing Direct Payment and Regret Lottery in people with Prevention, run by Carnegie Mellon University at 8 sites in United States.
Trial summary
The purpose of this study is to understand using incentives to encourage employees to increase participation in an aspect of a corporate wellness program - filling out health risk assessments. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and older
- Conditions the study is for
- Prevention
- What is being tested?
- Direct Payment and Regret Lottery
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 634 participants
- Where
- 8 sitesUnited States
- Study dates
- May 2009to Jun 2009
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Full time employees
Who cannot join
None listed.
Trial locations and contacts
8 sites in 1 country.
8 sites in 1 country
United States8 sites
Med3000
Dallas, Texas
Med3000
Dayton, Ohio
Med 3000
Pensacola, Florida
Med3000
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Med3000
Shelton, Connecticut
Med3000
Tampa, Florida
Med3000
Tinley Park, Illinois
Med3000
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
About this study
The purpose of this study is to understand using incentives to encourage employees to increase participation in an aspect of a corporate wellness program - filling out health risk assessments. This study will test whether lottery-linked incentives are more effective than guaranteed incentives in encouraging people to fill out health risk assessments.
This study will be run in an employer setting in which rates of health risk assessment completion are suboptimal. This study would be conducted within a workplace setting in which the firm is divided into a number of geographically situated and functionally related subunits. The investigators will run a "complete your health risk assessment now!" program for 4 weeks. Each work unit will obtain a symbol. Every week, one symbol will be randomly drawn, publicly announced, and anyone in that work unit at the firm who has received their preventive screening would receive a $100 prize. In addition, if all of employees in that unit have completed their forms, then the prize will be increased to $125.
The investigators expect this condition to result in greater compliance compared to a control condition in which employees would receive weekly reminders and a direct payment of a $25 gift card for completing the form at anytime during the 4 weeks of the study. This is analogous to direct payments that have been used by insurers to encourage completion of such forms in other contexts.
Read the detailed description
The purpose of this study is to apply concepts from behavioral economics to increase the effectiveness of incentives for preventative health care.
Health risk assessments are an important part of preventative healthcare. Employees fill out these forms and are given feedback about their health risks and steps they can take to improve their health. This study will be run in an employer setting in which rates of health risk assessment completion are suboptimal. This study would be conducted within a workplace setting in which the firm is divided into a number of geographically situated and functionally related subunits. We will run a "complete your health risk assessment now!" program for 4 weeks. Each work unit will obtain a symbol. Every week, one symbol will be randomly drawn, publicly announced, and anyone in that work unit at the firm who has received their preventive screening would receive a $100 prize. In addition, if all of employees in that unit have completed their forms, then the prize will be increased to $125.
This program plays on a number of psychological factors: 1) avoidance of regret, which one will experience if the number/symbol of the unit one is a member of is drawn and one does not win a prize because one is not participating in the wellness program 2) amplification of such regret by social means - because other people around you who are participating will receive cash prizes 3) mild social pressure, because high enrollments will yield benefits for all participants.
- Conditions
- Prevention
- Being tested
- Direct Payment, Regret Lottery
- Keywords
- Health Risk Assessment, Incentives, Preventative Healthcare, Encouraging Health Risk Assessments
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Direct PaymentBehavioural
$25 gift card given upon completion of Health Risk Assessment
Regret LotteryBehavioural
Entered into a lottery upon completion of Health Risk Assessment
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Direct Payment | Experimental | Direct Payment: Employees receive a $25 gift card upon completion of a Health Risk Assessment Receives: Behavioral: Direct Payment |
| Regret Lottery | Experimental | Regret Lottery: Employees are divided into work units of about 5 employees. Employees in the lottery-linked incentive condition will be eligible for a weekly lottery drawing only if they have already completed their health risk assessment. The lotteries will work as follows. Participants will be assigned to work units of about 10 people. Each week, one work group is drawn at random. If a participants group was drawn and that participant already completed the health risk assessment, then that person will win a $100 cash prize. If all of the members of his or her work group also filled out the health risk assessment, then the prize will be boosted. Receives: Behavioral: Regret Lottery |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Percent of people in each condition who complete their health risk assessment
Measured: 4 weeks
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted1 May 2009 (estimated)
- Study startMay 2009
- Primary completionJun 2009
- Study completionJun 2009
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for PreventionStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Other
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Participant
- Enrolment
- 634 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Carnegie Mellon University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Yale University, University of Pennsylvania
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, George Loewenstein, Carnegie Mellon University
- Investigators
- George Loewenstein, PhD, Principal investigator, Carnegie Mellon University
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT00891111
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- CMUHS08613
- Status last verified
- Jan 2018
- First submitted
- 30 Apr 2009
- Last updated
- 5 Feb 2018
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 5 Feb 2018. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Incentives for Preventative Health Care: Increasing Completion of Health Risk Assessments
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT00891111
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- CMUHS08613
- Conditions
- Prevention
- Keywords
- Health Risk Assessment, Incentives, Preventative Healthcare, Encouraging Health Risk Assessments
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 634 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Carnegie Mellon UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Yale University, University of Pennsylvania
- Study start
- May 2009
- Primary completion
- Jun 2009 (actual)
- Study completion
- Jun 2009 (actual)
- First posted
- 1 May 2009 (estimated)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The purpose of this study is to understand using incentives to encourage employees to increase participation in an aspect of a corporate wellness program - filling out health risk assessments. This study will test whether lottery-linked incentives are more effective than guaranteed incentives in encouraging people to fill out health risk assessments.
This study will be run in an employer setting in which rates of health risk assessment completion are suboptimal. This study would be conducted within a workplace setting in which the firm is divided into a number of geographically situated and functionally related subunits. The investigators will run a "complete your health risk assessment now!" program for 4 weeks. Each work unit will obtain a symbol. Every week, one symbol will be randomly drawn, publicly announced, and anyone in that work unit at the firm who has received their preventive screening would receive a $100 prize. In addition, if all of employees in that unit have completed their forms, then the prize will be increased to $125.
The investigators expect this condition to result in greater compliance compared to a control condition in which employees would receive weekly reminders and a direct payment of a $25 gift card for completing the form at anytime during the 4 weeks of the study. This is analogous to direct payments that have been used by insurers to encourage completion of such forms in other contexts.
Detailed description
The purpose of this study is to apply concepts from behavioral economics to increase the effectiveness of incentives for preventative health care.
Health risk assessments are an important part of preventative healthcare. Employees fill out these forms and are given feedback about their health risks and steps they can take to improve their health. This study will be run in an employer setting in which rates of health risk assessment completion are suboptimal. This study would be conducted within a workplace setting in which the firm is divided into a number of geographically situated and functionally related subunits. We will run a "complete your health risk assessment now!" program for 4 weeks. Each work unit will obtain a symbol. Every week, one symbol will be randomly drawn, publicly announced, and anyone in that work unit at the firm who has received their preventive screening would receive a $100 prize. In addition, if all of employees in that unit have completed their forms, then the prize will be increased to $125.
This program plays on a number of psychological factors: 1) avoidance of regret, which one will experience if the number/symbol of the unit one is a member of is drawn and one does not win a prize because one is not participating in the wellness program 2) amplification of such regret by social means - because other people around you who are participating will receive cash prizes 3) mild social pressure, because high enrollments will yield benefits for all participants.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Other
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind (participant)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Direct Payment | Experimental | Behavioral: Direct PaymentDirect Payment: Employees receive a $25 gift card upon completion of a Health Risk Assessment |
| Regret Lottery | Experimental | Behavioral: Regret LotteryRegret Lottery: Employees are divided into work units of about 5 employees. Employees in the lottery-linked incentive condition will be eligible for a weekly lottery drawing only if they have already completed their health risk assessment. The lotteries will work as follows. Participants will be assigned to work units of about 10 people. Each week, one work group is drawn at random. If a participants group was drawn and that participant already completed the health risk assessment, then that person will win a $100 cash prize. If all of the members of his or her work group also filled out the health risk assessment, then the prize will be boosted. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (1 listed)
- Full time employees
Key exclusion criteria (0 listed)
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Direct Payment$25 gift card given upon completion of Health Risk Assessment | Behavioural | Direct Payment |
| Regret LotteryEntered into a lottery upon completion of Health Risk Assessment | Behavioural | Regret Lottery |
Primary outcome
Percent of people in each condition who complete their health risk assessment
Time frame: 4 weeks
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 5 Feb 2018.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
George Loewenstein, PhD principal investigator
Carnegie Mellon University
8 sites in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Direct Payment and Regret Lottery in people with Prevention, run by Carnegie Mellon University at 8 sites in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 1 inclusion and 0 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 5 Feb 2018. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 8 sites in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Percent of people in each condition who complete their health risk assessment (time frame: 4 weeks). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 5 Feb 2018.