--- title: "Monetary deposits & wt. loss in commitmt contracts. | Sutter Health" description: "Voluntary use of commitment contracts may be an effective tool to assist weight loss. Those who choose to use monetary incentives report more weight loss. It is not clear whether this is due to the incentives or higher motivation." url: "https://www.sutterhealth.org/research/publications/monetary-deposits-wt-loss-commitmt-contracts-1055312494" --- 1. [Home](https://www.sutterhealth.org/) / 2. [Research](https://www.sutterhealth.org/research) / 3. [Research publications](https://www.sutterhealth.org/research/publications) / 4. Monetary deposits & wt. loss in commitmt contracts. # Association between monetary deposits and weight loss in online commitment contracts. Lesser LI, Thompson CA, & Luft HS. _Am J Health Promot. \[Epub ahead of print\] doi:10.1177/0890117116661157_ 2016-08-08 ## Abstract Purpose: To examine the characteristics of voluntary online commitment contracts that may be associated with greater weight loss. Design: Retrospective analysis of weight loss commitment contracts derived from a company that provides web-based support for personal commitment contracts. Using regression, we analyzed whether percentage weight loss differed between participants who incentivized their contract using monetary deposits and those who did not. Setting: Online. Participants: Users (N = 3857) who voluntarily signed up online in 2013 for a weight loss contract. Intervention: Participants specified their own weight loss goal, time period, and self-reported weekly weight. Deposits were available in the following 3 categories: charity, anticharity (a nonprofit one does not like), or donations made to a friend. Measures: Percentage weight loss per week. Analysis: Multivariable linear regressions. Results: Controlling for several participant and contract characteristics, contracts with anticharity, charity, and friend deposits had greater reported weight loss than nonincentivized contracts. Weight change per week relative to those without deposits was −0.33%, −0.28%, and −0.25% for anti-charity, charity, and friend, respectively (P < 0.001). Contracts without a weight verification method claimed more weight loss than those with verification. Conclusion: Voluntary use of commitment contracts may be an effective tool to assist weight loss. Those who choose to use monetary incentives report more weight loss. It is not clear whether this is due to the incentives or higher motivation. [PubMed abstract](http://ahp.sagepub.com/content/early/2016/08/08/0890117116661157.abstract) ## Research topics - [Disease Management](https://www.sutterhealth.org/research-search-results?query=%22%5C%22Disease+Management%5C%22%22) - [Obesity](https://www.sutterhealth.org/research-search-results?query=%22%5C%22Obesity%5C%22%22) ## Related publications [View all publications](https://www.sutterhealth.org/research-search-results?verticalKey=research_publication) - Publication ### [Measurement of self-monitoring web technology acceptance and use in an eHealth weight-loss trial](https://www.sutterhealth.org/research/publications/technology-use-in-an-e-health-weigh-loss-trial-1055312620) Ma J, Xiao L, Blonstein AC. Telemed J E Health. 19(10):739-45. doi: 10.1089/tmj.2013.0009. Epub 2013 Aug 17. 2013 Oct 01 - Publication ### [Underdiagnosis of obesity in adults in US outpatient settings.](https://www.sutterhealth.org/research/publications/under-dx-obesity-adults-outpatient-settings-1055312856) Ma Jun, Xiao Lan, Stafford RS. Arch Intern Med. 169(3):312-316. doi:10.1001/archinternmed.2008.582. 2009 Feb 09 - Publication ### [Weight management interventions in adult and pediatric asthma populations: a systematic review.](https://www.sutterhealth.org/research/publications/weight-mgmt-interventions-asthma-review-1055312909) Lv N, Xiao L, Ma J. J Pulm Respir Med. 5(232). pii: 1000232. 2015 Oct 01 - Publication ### [Weight management interventions in adult and pediatric asthma populations: a systematic review.](https://www.sutterhealth.org/research/publications/wt-mgmt-adult-ped-asthma-review-1055312799) Lv N, Xiao L, Ma J. 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Ann Am Thorac Soc. 11(8):1218-24. doi: 10.1513/AnnalsATS.201405-214OC. 2014 Oct 01 [View all publications](https://www.sutterhealth.org/research-search-results?verticalKey=research_publication) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"MedicalOrganization","name":"Sutter Health","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/#medicalorganization","url":"https://www.sutterhealth.org","logo":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/static/images/sutter-health-logo.svg","address":{"@type":"PostalAddress","streetAddress":"2200 River Plaza Drive","addressLocality":"Sacramento","addressRegion":"CA","postalCode":"95833","addressCountry":"US"},"areaServed":{"@type":"AdministrativeArea","name":"California"},"sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/SutterHealth","https://www.instagram.com/sutterhealth/","https://x.com/SutterHealth","https://www.youtube.com/sutterhealth","https://www.linkedin.com/company/sutter-health","https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sutter_Health"]} ``` ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/research/publications/monetary-deposits-wt-loss-commitmt-contracts-1055312494#breadcrumblist","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Research","item":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/research"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Research publications","item":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/research/publications"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Monetary deposits & wt. loss in commitmt contracts."}]} ``` ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"MedicalScholarlyArticle","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/research/publications/monetary-deposits-wt-loss-commitmt-contracts-1055312494#medicalscholarlyarticle","name":"Association between monetary deposits and weight loss in online commitment contracts.","headline":"Monetary deposits & wt. loss in commitmt contracts.","abstract":"Purpose: To examine the characteristics of voluntary online commitment contracts that may be associated with greater weight loss. Design: Retrospective analysis of weight loss commitment contracts derived from a company that provides web-based support for personal commitment contracts. Using regression, we analyzed whether percentage weight loss differed between participants who incentivized their contract using monetary deposits and those who did not. Setting: Online. Participants: Users (N = 3857) who voluntarily signed up online in 2013 for a weight loss contract. Intervention: Participants specified their own weight loss goal, time period, and self-reported weekly weight. Deposits were available in the following 3 categories: charity, anticharity (a nonprofit one does not like), or donations made to a friend. Measures: Percentage weight loss per week. Analysis: Multivariable linear regressions. Results: Controlling for several participant and contract characteristics, contracts with anticharity, charity, and friend deposits had greater reported weight loss than nonincentivized contracts. Weight change per week relative to those without deposits was −0.33%, −0.28%, and −0.25% for anti-charity, charity, and friend, respectively (P \u003c 0.001). Contracts without a weight verification method claimed more weight loss than those with verification. Conclusion: Voluntary use of commitment contracts may be an effective tool to assist weight loss. Those who choose to use monetary incentives report more weight loss. It is not clear whether this is due to the incentives or higher motivation.","description":"Voluntary use of commitment contracts may be an effective tool to assist weight loss. Those who choose to use monetary incentives report more weight loss. It is not clear whether this is due to the incentives or higher motivation.","keywords":["Disease Management","Obesity"],"datePublished":"2016-08-08","url":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/research/publications/monetary-deposits-wt-loss-commitmt-contracts-1055312494","inLanguage":"en-US","identifier":[{"@type":"PropertyValue","propertyID":"DOI","value":"10.1177/0890117116661157"}],"sameAs":["https://doi.org/10.1177/0890117116661157"],"isPartOf":{"@type":"Periodical","name":"Am J Health Promot"},"author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Lesser LI"},{"@type":"Person","name":"Thompson CA"},{"@type":"Person","name":"Luft HS"}],"sourceOrganization":{"@type":"MedicalOrganization","name":"Palo Alto Medical Foundation Research Institute"},"about":[{"@type":"DefinedTerm","name":"Disease Management","url":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/research-search-results?facets=%5B%7B%22i%22%3A%22c_researchTopics.name%22%2C%22v%22%3A%5B%22Disease+Management%22%5D%7D%5D&verticalKey=research_publication"},{"@type":"DefinedTerm","name":"Obesity","url":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/research-search-results?facets=%5B%7B%22i%22%3A%22c_researchTopics.name%22%2C%22v%22%3A%5B%22Obesity%22%5D%7D%5D&verticalKey=research_publication"}],"mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/research/publications/monetary-deposits-wt-loss-commitmt-contracts-1055312494","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/research/publications/monetary-deposits-wt-loss-commitmt-contracts-1055312494#breadcrumblist"}}} ```