A recent study published in the journal Circulation revealed that providing incentives to individuals to exercise more resulted in significant increases in daily step counts and moderate exercise duration. The research, which involved 1,062 participants with a higher-than-average risk for cardiovascular disease, found that these incentives led to an average addition of 1,500 steps per day and approximately 40 minutes of extra moderate exercise each week.

The participants, with an average age of 67, were provided with wearable devices to track their daily step counts. They were then randomly assigned to one of four groups. Three groups received incentives, either financial or behavioral, while the control group simply received daily messages about their step counts.

One of the incentive groups utilized a game-oriented approach, where participants earned points by meeting their step goals, with trophies awarded to those with the highest scores at the end of the study. Another incentive group received financial rewards of $14 per week but faced a penalty of losing $2 for each day they did not meet their step goals. The fourth group had the opportunity to earn both game and financial incentives.

Overall, the participants in the gaming-plus-money incentive group demonstrated the greatest increase in their step count and sustained their heightened physical activity levels even six months after the year-long study concluded. Additionally, the researchers found that these improvements in activity levels correlated with a 10 percent reduction in the participants' risk of cardiovascular-related death.

Researchers noted that individuals looking to exercise more could adopt similar methods by utilizing exercise apps that provide reminders and collaborating with friends and family members to create games or financial scenarios to enhance personal health goals. The National Institutes of Health, which funded the study, emphasized the importance of finding low-cost ways to encourage physical activity.

The findings of this study shed light on the potential impact of incentives in promoting physical activity and reducing cardiovascular risk. "Even moderate exercise can drastically reduce cardiovascular risk, so finding low-cost ways to get people moving and stay in a fitness program that they can do at home is a huge win for public health," stated the National Institutes of Health in a statement.

The study serves as a reminder that simple, yet effective interventions can significantly improve individuals' activity levels, potentially leading to better cardiovascular health outcomes.