Tag Archives: mayo clinic

Mayo: Money Talks When it Comes to Losing Weight

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A little cash goes a long way, even when the topic is wellness and shedding a few pounds.

Details from a recent study:

Weight loss study participants who received financial incentives were more likely to stick with a weight loss program and lost more weight than study participants who received no incentives, according to Mayo Clinic research.

Previous studies have shown that financial incentives help people lose weight, but this study examined a larger group of participants (100) over a longer period (one year), says lead author Steven Driver, M.D., an internal medicine resident at Mayo Clinic. One hundred healthy adult Mayo employees or their dependents, ages 18-63 with a body mass index of 30 to 39.9 kg/m2, were assigned to one of four weight loss groups: two with financial incentives and two without. An adult who has a body mass index — a calculation determined by using weight and height — of 30 or higher is considered obese, according the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

All participants were given a goal of losing 4 pounds per month up to a predetermined goal weight. Participants were weighed monthly for one year; previous financial incentive studies followed patients for 12 and 36 weeks. Participants in the incentive groups who met their goals received $20 per month, while those who failed to meet their targets paid $20 each month into a bonus pool. Participants in both incentive groups who completed the study were eligible to win the pool by lottery.

Study completion rates for the incentive groups were significant compared with the non-incentive groups: 62 percent versus 26 percent. In the incentive groups, participants' mean weight loss was 9.08 pounds, compared with 2.34 pounds for the non-incentive groups.

"The take-home message is that sustained weight loss can be achieved by financial incentives," Dr. Driver says. "The financial incentives can improve results, and improve compliance and adherence."

Researchers found that even participants in the incentive group who paid penalties were more likely to continue their participation in the study than those in the non-incentive groups, Dr. Driver says.

Senior study author Donald Hensrud, M.D., preventive medicine expert at Mayo Clinic and medical editor of The Mayo Clinic Diet, says obesity continues to be a major concern in the United States because extra weight contributes to many conditions, such as heart disease and diabetes.

"Traditional therapies are not working for a lot of people, so people are looking for creative ways to help people lose weight and keep it off," Dr. Hensrud says. "The results of this study show the potential of financial incentives."

How to Not Go Out of Business

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BusinessWeek offers thoughts on how to turn around a struggling business by studying your customers and paying close attention to your brand:

As you study your customers, look for things that aren’t working for them. The better you understand the pain points within and around your industry, the better you can enhance your brand’s relevance. Run-flat tires reduce the inconvenience (and danger) people feel when they run over a nail. Satellite radio eliminates the annoyance of static on lonely interstate highways. The Egg McMuffin lessens the hassle of eating in the car. Even minor enhancements can have a major impact on customer satisfaction, from a curved shower rod (who would have thought you could keep that clingy curtain at bay) to a Web form that remembers personal data (key in my address? again?) to a simple apple slicer (great for you and me, even if it’s not so good for Band-Aid).

Once you have a solid list of pain points, brainstorm about how you might relieve them. This is where understanding the changing lifestyles of your target is vital, as it gives you a sense of what they’ll be wanting/needing/expecting down the road. Some new ideas may require a costly and significant overhaul of the way you do business, while others will only require a simple process change, ordering option, or service enhancement. Over time you’ll probably implement a variety of ideas encompassing all of the above.

Need a head start? Try imagining solutions from the perspective of well-known, well-respected brands. For each pain point, ask: "How would Nordstrom (JWN) overcome this problem if they were in our business?" "How would Southwest Airlines (LUV) approach this challenge?" "What would the Marines Corps do about this issue?" Nike (NKE), Ritz-Carlton, Harley-Davidson (HOG), the Mayo Clinic—you can drop any number of companies into this equation that will cause you to consider different ways of relieving the pain. Many of your ideas won’t be practical (and some may not even be possible), but the exercise will open your mind to creative solutions.

Regardless of how you go about innovating, make sure you’re continually pursuing the next thing, because a company’s commitment to staying relevant must never cease. As you consistently address your customers’ evolving expectations and overcome the things that frustrate them, improvements that by themselves may only be measured in inches will move your company miles from where it is today. That’s where your customers will be. As long as you’re there to meet them, they’re likely to stick around.