Pay the obese to lose weight

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The below may be of interest:

Pay the obese to lose weight, says study

21:00 09 December 2008 by Jim Giles

The focus of the next diet fad might be cash rather than

carbohydrates. Volpp of the University of Pennsylvania in

Philadelphia found that obese people offered a financial reward for

every kilogram shed lost more weight during a 16-week trial than

those given standard diet advice.

The drawback? Like other weight-loss methods, many of the

participants put the pounds back on once the programme ended. To

achieve longer-lasting results the monthly payments, some totalling

several hundred dollars, might have to be made for longer periods.

Volpp's results mean that obesity may join the list of social

maladies that can be addressed using financial incentives. Previous

experiments have shown that smokers and cocaine addicts can be weaned

off their habits by paying them to stay drug-free. Incentives have

also successfully been used to ensure that parents in developing

countries send their children to school.

One of the biggest incentives schemes ever run in a rich nation got

underway last year in New York. Over 5000 families are being studied

to see if cash incentives can improve the rate at which children

receive regular health check ups and adults attend work training

courses.

Journal reference: Journal of the American Medical Association, vol

300, p 2631

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Carruthers

Wakefield, UK