Written by Mary Marschner
Spoon Feed
Financial incentives and motivational text messaging for weight loss works in men with obesity. Calling the study Game of Stones makes it that much more awesome.
Synopsis
This randomized clinical trial examined weight loss in men with obesity using two interventions: text messages with financial incentives and text messages alone. At 12 months, the group receiving text messages with financial incentives showed a statistically significant mean weight loss of 4.8%, compared to 1.3% in the control group (p < .001). However, text messages alone did not significantly outperform the control. The findings indicate that the combination of financial incentives and text messaging may offer an effective strategy for weight loss in men, highlighting the potential role of economic motivation in obesity management programs. [AI-generated]
Game of Stones – this study is a gem!
Obesity continues to be an area of intense discussion given the overall health outcomes, costs, complications associated with it. At the moment, GLP-1 agonists are dominating the discussion, given their efficacy, but they also have a huge financial burden on the health system. This study reminds us that paying patients for healthcare goals could be cheaper than paying pharmaceutical companies. The Game of Stones is limited by the duration of the study and only including men. Although the initial success of weight loss is encouraging, I would like to see if additional financial incentives are needed to keep the weight off long term. The study is beautifully simple, with daily texts including website links to informational resources and the promise of paying the patients at the 3-, 6-, and 12-month mark. There is no specific patient education, lifestyle modification, or recommended diet. Obese men were more likely to lose weight with financial incentives and motivational texts than with just texts or nothing.
How will this change my practice?
This won’t change my practice, but perhaps it will change my conversation with health insurance companies. If weight loss medications are denied because they are too expensive, should we consider a cheaper alternative: paying the patient to become healthier?
Source
Text Messages With Financial Incentives for Men With Obesity: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA. 2024 Jul 2;332(1):31-40. doi: 10.1001/jama.2024.7064. PMID: 38744430
