Bright spots, physical activity investments that work: Sweatcoin: a steps generated virtual currency for sustained physical activity behaviour change

Derlyatka, Anton; Fomenko, O. M.; Eck, Felicia; Khmelev, Egor; Elliott, Mark T.

doi:10.1136/bjsports-2018-099739

Cited by 14 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…They also have the capacity to be easily scaled up for use at the population level, with minimal effort from health service providers, given that implementing financial incentives does not require specialized staff or resources. 5,63 For example, mobile applications that provide continuous financial incentives to be physically active, such as Sweatcoin and the Vitality Activity Reward program, have respectively had a reach of more than 20 million users globally 64 and 415 000 adults in South Africa. 65 Many corporate wellness programs, private insurers, government agencies, and public health programs are already using financial incentives for health promotion 65 -68 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Impact of Financial Incentives on Physical Activity: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

et al. 2020

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Objective: To evaluate the effects of financial incentives on physical activity (PA). Data Sources: MEDLINE, Embase, 7 other databases, and 2 trial registries until July 17, 2019. Study Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria: Randomized controlled trials with adults aged ≥18 years assessing the effect of financial incentives on PA. Any comparator was eligible provided the only difference between groups was the incentive strategy. Data Extraction: Two independent reviewers extracted data and assessed study quality. Of 5765 records identified, 57 records (51 unique trials; n = 17 773 participants) were included. Data Synthesis: Random-effects models pooling data for each of the 5 PA domains. Results: Financial incentives increase leisure time PA (gym or class attendance; standardized mean difference [95% CI], 0.46 [0.28-0.63], n = 5057) and walking behavior (steps walked; 0.25 [0.13-0.36], n = 3254). No change in total minutes of PA (0.52 [−0.09 to 1.12], n = 968), kilocalories expended (0.19 [−0.06 to 0.44], n = 247), or the proportion of participants meeting PA guidelines (risk ratio [95% CI] 1.53 [0.53-4.44], n = 650) postintervention was observed. After intervention has ceased, incentives sustain a slight increase in leisure time PA (0.10 [0.02-0.18], n = 2678) and walking behavior (0.11 [0.00-0.22], n = 2425). Conclusions: Incentives probably improve leisure time PA and walking at intervention end, and small improvements may be sustained over time once incentives have ceased. They lead to little or no difference in kilocalories expended or minutes of PA. It is uncertain whether incentives change the likelihood of meeting PA guidelines because the certainty of the evidence is low.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Impact of Financial Incentives on Physical Activity: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

et al. 2020

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“…Importantly, our results found a significant and consistent increase in step count following app registration, which averaged 18.7% across the period and across all users. In an earlier pilot analysis, we previously reported a figure of 19.5% because of a slight variation in inclusion criteria [11].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Sweatcoin is a free app available on iOS and Android platforms. The concept of Sweatcoin is to convert a user’s step count, as recorded by the sensors on a smartphone, into virtual currency [11]. To ensure the value of the reward is maintained, the app incorporates a second layer of step verification.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Physical Activity Behavior Change Driven by Engagement With an Incentive-Based App: Evaluating the Impact of Sweatcoin

Elliott¹,

Eck²,

Khmelev³

et al. 2019

JMIR Mhealth Uhealth

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Background Physical inactivity, now the fourth leading cause of death, is a primary element of noncommunicable diseases. Despite a great number of attempts, there is still a lack of effective approaches that can motivate sedentary populations to increase their levels of physical activity over a sustained period. Incentives for exercise can provide an immediate reward for increasing activity levels, but because of limited funding to provide rewards, previous programs using this approach have only shown short-term changes in behavior. Sweatcoin (Sweatco Ltd, UK) is an app-based platform that converts physical movement into virtual currency. The currency can be exchanged for goods and services on their marketplace, providing a continuous incentive to be active. This study investigates the physical activity behavior change observed in Sweatcoin users over a 6-month period of app usage. Objective The aim of this study was to investigate the change in physical activity (measured using daily step count) of a sample of Sweatcoin users, the longevity of the change, and whether this change can be predicted by demographic and other lifestyle variables. Methods Activity data from a sample of 5892 Sweatcoin users were used to analyze daily step count. Activity change was measured in terms of the percentage change in average daily step count for each month after registration, relative to that in the 3 months before using the app. Users were grouped according to having no or negative, moderate, or high activity change. A subset of users completed a questionnaire that allowed differences between groups in terms of activity and demographic status to be investigated using regression analyses. Results Daily step count increased by 19% on average over the 6 months following registration ( P <.001). Of the questionnaire respondents, 728 were valid responses. A multinomial logistic regression identified the key drivers of moderate and high activity behavior change relative to no or negative change based on the defined groupings. There was a clear impact of seasonality, with those registering for the app in winter (odds ratio [OR] 4.67; P =.001) and spring (OR 5.05; P =.001) being more likely to show high positive activity behavior change than those registering in summer. More striking were the results identifying those classified as overweight (measured through body mass index [BMI]; OR 1.83; P =.02) and less active (based on a self-reported scale of physical activity; OR 0.88; P =.048), being most likely to show high levels of physical activity change following registration with the app. Conclusions The results highlight that an incentives-based app can induce significant physical activity behavior change, sustained over a 6-month period. Importantly, the results suggest...

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“…The Carrot Rewards smartphone application (‘app’), developed in partnership with the Public Health Agency of Canada, is a recent example of incentives tied to smartphone-assessed step counts 24. Sweatcoin is another popular app that converts step counts into financial rewards 25…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Financial incentives for physical activity in adults: systematic review and meta-analysis

et al. 2019

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ObjectiveThe use of financial incentives to promote physical activity (PA) has grown in popularity due in part to technological advances that make it easier to track and reward PA. The purpose of this study was to update the evidence on the effects of incentives on PA in adults.Data sourcesMedline, PubMed, Embase, PsychINFO, CCTR, CINAHL and COCH.Eligibility criteriaRandomised controlled trials (RCT) published between 2012 and May 2018 examining the impact of incentives on PA.DesignA simple count of studies with positive and null effects (‘vote counting’) was conducted. Random-effects meta-analyses were also undertaken for studies reporting steps per day for intervention and post-intervention periods.Results23 studies involving 6074 participants were included (64.42% female, mean age = 41.20 years). 20 out of 22 studies reported positive intervention effects and four out of 18 reported post-intervention (after incentives withdrawn) benefits. Among the 12 of 23 studies included in the meta-analysis, incentives were associated with increased mean daily step counts during the intervention period (pooled mean difference (MD), 607.1; 95% CI: 422.1 to 792.1). Among the nine of 12 studies with post-intervention daily step count data incentives were associated with increased mean daily step counts (pooled MD, 513.8; 95% CI:312.7 to 714.9).ConclusionDemonstrating rising interest in financial incentives, 23 RCTs were identified. Modest incentives ($1.40 US/day) increased PA for interventions of short and long durations and after incentives were removed, though post-intervention ‘vote counting’ and pooled results did not align. Nonetheless, and contrary to what has been previously reported, these findings suggest a short-term incentive ‘dose’ may promote sustained PA.

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Bright spots, physical activity investments that work: Sweatcoin: a steps generated virtual currency for sustained physical activity behaviour change

Cited by 14 publications

References 6 publications

The Impact of Financial Incentives on Physical Activity: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

The Impact of Financial Incentives on Physical Activity: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Physical Activity Behavior Change Driven by Engagement With an Incentive-Based App: Evaluating the Impact of Sweatcoin

Financial incentives for physical activity in adults: systematic review and meta-analysis

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