Research published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine has shown that those who are obese are more inclined to lose weight with cash incentives but once the incentive is no longer there, the obese go back to their original size and often become even fatter. These incentives are presently in trial on the NHS and the Kent NHS trust, for example, is giving patients up to £3,000 for shifting up to 10 stone as part of their Pound for Pound scheme.
The research was carried out in the U.S with 66 participants studied over 8 months. It was revealed that those who received payment for their weight loss lost, on average, a half a stone more than those who did not receive payment for their efforts. All patients put on weight after the experiment had finished.
Some health officials suggest that this is a dangerous kind of intervention because there is money involved and therefore people may go to drastic lengths in order to lose weight quickly. Considering there is no research to suggest that this weight loss continues or is maintained after the payment ceases, are we just wasting public money on these people? The answer must be an emphatic YES!