software to translate behavioral economic insights to improve health

DESCRIPTION provided by applicant Unhealthy behaviors such as smoking medication non adherence and lifestyle habits leading to obesity are major contributors to premature morbidity and mortality among the U S population Participation rates in programs designed to improve these behaviors are often less than Considerable research has shown that lotteries that leverage the principle of anticipated regret are particularly effective at motivatin behavior change and increasing participation These lotteries provide encouragement to perform a specified health behavior not only by offering a reward for successful participation but also by fostering a sense of regret if a reward would have been won if only they had participated the day before These approaches have been repeatedly successful in research settings but the mechanisms to run these lotteries are not currently available in commercial settings In this Phase I Phase II Fast Track project we will develop a scalable web based application to run regret lotteries to improve participation in and outcomes from health improvement programs The initial application will focus on smoking cessation program participation Future modules will include weight loss disease management and medication adherence Ultimately the lottery tool will be available to employers insurers provider organizations and product companies to improve participation in a wide range of health improvement programs making the lottery approach readily accessible to small and large companies alike Phase I Specific Aims We will design build and test a web based modular lottery software program to be used to increase health improvement program participation We will design a web interface for administrators to customize program parameters and patients to track activity build cloud based architecture to run a regret lottery create connectivity between this platform and email and SMS communications and test the product against technical standards and functionality with a person day pilot Phase II Specific Aims We will expand and test a scalable commercial regret lottery with two stages of product testing program scalability and improvement in program participation We will enhance product functionality with a debit card financial fulfillment solution run a day pilot with participants to test functionaities and refine user experience in commercial setting conduct a month participant pilot to measure smoking cessation participation rates with and without the lottery With this project we will bring the science of behavioral economics within reach of employers insurers provider organizations and technology companies to improve health and health care for millions of Americans PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE Health behaviors account for as many as of premature deaths in the United States and are a significant contributor to high health care costs Participation rates in health promotion programs and disease management programs that aim to address health behaviors are often below greatly limiting the potential impact of such programs in improving population health This project will fill the gap between research findings and societal deployment and bring the science of behavioral economics within reach of employers insurers provider organizations and technology companies to improve health and health care for millions of Americans through the use of regret lotteries to increase participation in health promotion and disease management programs