Giving Compass' Take:

• In this RAND Blog story, the authors discuss how loss-framed incentive schemes may be the key to encouraging people to increase physical activity.

• What organizations are best suited to implementing these kinds of incentive schemes?

• To learn why it is easier than ever to get the recommended amount of exercise, click here.

Having the motivation to keep exercising regularly can be challenging for many of us. The benefits of regular physical activity are widely recognised yet about one third of the world's adult population is not meeting the minimum weekly level of physical activity as recommended by the World Health Organisation. Weekly exercise can result in a lower risk of some diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer, as well as maintain a healthy body weight and mental health. So the question is: what will motivate people to keep heading out the door, whether it's for a swim or to the gym, for some much-needed activity?

Existing evidence suggests that incentive programmes can have a positive impact on people's healthy behaviours, and in particular on physical activity, but the type of incentive matters. A recent RAND Europe report has highlighted the impact a particular “loss-framed” financial incentive scheme has had on people's activity levels. Think of a loss-framed incentive as more of the proverbial “stick,” as opposed to the alternative gain-framed method or “carrot” reward for healthy behaviour. The stick in our study being people having to pay higher or lower monthly amounts for a smartwatch, depending on how physically active they were.

While by no means a magic bullet, the combination of modern technology and the loss-framed incentive would seem to make a significant impact on people's motivation, helping them to huff and puff their way to the desired amount of activity every week. This effect is important to consider when designing fitness and wellbeing programmes, whether it be for a health insurance company, employer or local GP. Finding ways to encourage healthy behaviour is vital and this might be the type of motivation people need to make it a way of life.

Read the full article about physical activity by Marco Hafner and Hans Pung at the RAND Blog