Findings uncover that social gamification + competition increases physical activity among overweight and obese adults?both key components of HealthyWage.com?s monetary reward-driven wellness contests for individuals and corporate/team-based weight loss challenges
 
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According to new study findings published by JAMA Internal Medicine (JAMANetwork.com), behavioral economics-based gamification led to ?significantly? increased physical activity among overweight and obese Americans. In this particular study, pairing a step tracking device with social incentives led to sustained, long-term behavior change?prompting participants to take more steps then with a step tracking device, alone.
While the report explains that ?gamification, the use of game design elements in nongame contexts, is increasingly being used in workplace wellness programs and digital health applications,? it further underscores that ?the best way to design social incentives in gamification interventions has not been well examined,? which is what makes this study particularly noteworthy. It determined that ?gamification interventions significantly increased physical activity during the 24-week intervention,? with competition being the ?most effective.? That?s something the founders of  HealthyWage?the world?s leading purveyor of financially-induced wellness contests for individuals and corporate/team-based weight loss challenges?has seen play out since launching its wei...