Promoting Physical Activity Among Employees Grace Poon (HPB) and Patsy Lam (Duke-NUS) Who Are We? 0 Health Promotion Board (HPB) and Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School 0 Funded by the Ministry of Health 0 Study to test whether financial incentives can motivate full-time employees to become more physically active Background 0 4 in 10 Singaporean residents are not sufficiently physically active – lack of time most common reason 0 Full-time employees are among the least active group 0 Inactivity increases risk of obesity and many chronic diseases such as hypertension and diabetes 3 Our Study 0 Research shows that incentives can motivate behaviour change, at least in the short term. 0 Test whether financial incentives can motivate full-time employees to walk more. 0 Compare groups of employees, some who receive no incentives with others who receive incentives for physical activity over a 6-month period, to see which group overall has greater levels of physical activity. Eligibility for Participation 0 You will be eligible if you satisfy ALL of these requirements0 You work full-time (i.e. 35+ hours of paid work) for your company. 0 You are aged between 21 – 65 years. 0 You do not have a health condition that may prevent you from taking part. 6 Randomised Design 0 You and your colleagues will be randomly allocated into one of four research arms (lucky draw). 0 Incentive schemes are different for each research arm. 0 Randomisation is necessary to ensure that participants sharing particular characteristics (for example, age, sex, education levels) do not end up belonging to the same research arm. 0 Necessary in order to attribute any changes in health outcomes to features of the programme. Four Research Arms 1. Control Group – Earn $4 a week for 6 months. No physical activity goals. 2. Fitbit Only Group – Earn $4 a week for 6 months. No physical activity goal, but will receive wireless pedometer. 3. Cash Incentive Group – Earn cash incentives for 6 months for meeting physical activity goals. 4. Charity Incentive Group – Same as above, except that incentives will be donated to a charity of the participant’s choice. 8 How Will We Monitor How Much You Walk? 0 Fitbit Zip is a wireless physical activity monitor that measures 0 0 0 0 steps Data is synced wirelessly via a USB dongle that can be plugged into any PC or via some smartphone models (bluetooth). Syncing stations will be set up. Participants will receive regular updates via email or by logging onto the Fitbit website They can also check their history on the Fitbit website or via a smartphone app Control group participants will not receive Fitbit. Fitbit Monitors Your Activity Levels Fitbit Gives You Feedback Physical Activity Goals and Incentives 0 Below are the incentives that participants in the cash and charity incentive groups will receive upon meeting step goals0 $0 for < 50,000 steps a week 0 $15 for completing 50,000 – 69,999 steps a week 0 $30 for completing ≥ 70,000 steps a week 0 Maximum number of steps that will be counted per day for incentives is 20,000. Overview 1. Complete an online screening questionnaire (10 min) 2. Attend a talk by Duke-NUS researchers (30 min), have biometrics taken, sign consent form, pay enrollment fee* & pick up accelerometer (15 min) 3. Wear accelerometer for 7 days & complete a 30-min online questionnaire 4. Have accelerometer data validated, be randomized & set up Fitbit (30 mins) 5. Wear Fitbit from Months 1- 6 (unless randomised to Control arm) 6. Wear accelerometer for 7 days, complete a 30-minute online questionnaire & have biometrics taken at Months 6 & 12 * Enrollment Fee is $30, including a $10 non-refundable fee and a $20 refundable deposit that will be returned upon programme completion and return of Fitbit by participant. How Much Can You Earn? Cash Months 1-6 (weekly payment) Up to $780 Charity Up to $780 Fitbit Only Control $104 $104 ($4 per week in cash per week regardless of step activity) ($4 per week in cash per week regardless of step activity) Completion of Month 6 assessment $25 voucher and one in 10 chance of winning a $50 gift card $25 voucher and one in 10 chance of winning a $50 gift card $25 voucher and one in 10 chance of winning a $50 gift card $25 voucher and one in 10 chance of winning a $50 gift card Completion of Month 12 assessment $35 in voucher and one in 10 chance of winning a $50 voucher $35 in voucher and one in 10 chance of winning a $50 voucher $35 in voucher and one in 10 chance of winning a $50 voucher $35 in voucher and one in 10 chance of winning a $50 voucher TOTAL Up to $840 (excl. lottery) Up to $840 (excl. lottery) $164 (excl. lottery) $164 (excl. lottery) Is This Programme Safe? 0 Safety of participants is our priority. 0 Screening questionnaire identifies people not fit enough to participate (answer questions truthfully). 0 Walking is low-intensity physical activity. 0 You choose the intensity / pace of your activity. 0 We do not encourage more than 20,000 steps a day. 0 No medicines or food supplements will be advised as part of this programme.