Opportunity
Physical activity is associated with many health benefits, including reduced rates of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension, and obesity. However, more than 50 percent of adults in the United States don't achieve enough regular physical activity to obtain such benefits. Many wellness programs and mobile apps use leaderboards to compare progress across individuals and groups of people, but the best way to design these comparisons is unknown. Moreover, the impact of financial incentives coupled with social comparisons has not been well evaluated.
Approach
We designed a six-month randomized controlled trial to test multiple interventions that leveraged social comparison feedback and financial incentives to increase physical activity. We partnered with Penn Medicine, enrolling 286 employees. All participants used their smartphones to track activity and formed teams of four. Each team was randomly assigned to one of four arms. Teams received social comparisons to the 50 percentile (normative feedback) or the 75 percentile (top performers or leaderboard type feedback) and did or did not receive financial incentives.
Impact
Framing social comparisons to the 50 percentile (normative feedback) with financial incentives was the most effective intervention. Participants who received feedback compared to the 75 percentile without incentives had the lowest level of physical activity. These findings indicate that how comparison feedback is framed can significantly influence individual and team behavior. This study was awarded “Paper of the Year” by the American Journal of Health Promotion.
Collaborators
Human Resources Department, Penn Medicine
Funding
National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health
