Can $14 a Week Improve Your Heart Health? Surprising Study Results.

Incentive-based interventions, utilizing principles from behavioral economics, significantly increased physical activity among individuals at risk for cardiovascular diseases. This year-long study demonstrated sustained improvements in daily steps and physical activity levels, offering a potent strategy for reducing cardiovascular risks.

Gaining rewards or modest financial incentives motivates individuals to increase their physical activity levels.

Incentives like gaining points or earning small monetary rewards motivated individuals at a high risk for heart disease or stroke to boost their daily walking by roughly 10%, maintaining this increase over the span of a year. This finding, presented at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session, revealed that the study achieved its main goal by demonstrating a statistically significant rise in the daily step count of participants from the beginning to the end of the 12-month period.