| Description |
This study attempts to answer three questions about the impact of reinforcement on health behavior and selected physiologic measures. First, is there an improvement in self-reported health behaviors and related physiologic measures when people are paid to report their health behavior? Second, do people report more regularly when they are paid to report their health behavior? Third, is there an improvement in health behaviors when people report their behaviors on a weekly basis and are given feedback on that report and an incentive to change there behaviors? Two objectives were developed for this study: to compare the level of performance between nonreinforced and reinforced participants in a self-report program monitoring health behaviors and to compare the level of performance between all participants (nonreinforced and reinforced0 with a control group. The test group was composed of 40 employees of the University of Utah Department of Public Safety. The control group consisted of 13 additional employees of the Department of Public Safety who elected not to participate in the program for a variety of reasons. Although the control group was self-selected, the test and control populations were similar when compared for demographic characteristics and baseline self-report health behavior scores for weight, smoking, drinking, and exercise. The health behavior self-report instrument was generated by the researcher with a computer feedback loop designed and operated by the University of Utah Public Safety Department. These criteria were applied to the test group along with individual sessions for the measurement of physiologic data. A weekly reinforcement was administered to a subgroup of this population. A major incentive was available for the total test group. Only the self-report instrument was applied to the control group. The results from this study showed that no important statistical differences existed between the nonreinforced and the reinforced groups after the 12-week self-report program in terms of increase positive health behaviors. However, reinforced program participants reported more regularly than nonreinforced participants. Both the nonreinforced and reinforced groups did show significant improvement at the end of the 12-week program for weight, exercise, and total self-report scores. Resting recovery, and exercise pulses and weight also significantly changed by the end of the 12-week program. Both self-report scores and most physiologic measures approached pre-program levels at the 12-week follow-up. The control group showed neither change in self-report behavior over the 12-week program nor at the 12-week follow up. The overall results from this study suggest that reinforcement contingent on “reporting†the status of health behaviors does increase the frequency of reporting health behaviors, but the reinforcement does not generalize to improve or increase the frequency of positive health behaviors. However, the self-report program with feedback loop and incentives appears to promote positive health behaviors when compared with an unequivalent control group receiving no such treatment. The limitations of the study are discussed and future research projects to change health behaviors are suggested. The implications of the study for economical implementation in a work setting are discussed and recommendations made for motivational research to determine which social, economic, and environmental factors influence participation in programs to improve health status. |
