In today's Sportsgeezer blog I read about an interesting research study. I wish I had had an employer that would have offered this, or that my insurance company would do this. Money always works as an incentive, and the camaraderie of team competition really ups the ante.
A multi-institutional study offered two groups of overweight people money for meeting their monthly weight loss goals. In the first group, each individual was given $100/month for meeting his or her goal. In the second group, teams of five people were given $500/month if they met their monthly goals, plus were given the balance of money from the teams not meeting their goals. As you can guess, at the end of the six-month study, the individuals on the teams lost seven pounds more than those in the individual group.
Next, I feel they should study whether the competitors continue to lose weight, if they keep the weight off, and how that affects the employer's bottom line regarding health care costs. I surmise a positive result, especially if the team competition leads to on-going group support.
Looking together in the same direction.
Sea otters hold hands while they sleep so they don't drift apart.
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