arbiter
JournalsAccount

Promoting healthy behaviour with financial incentives: three challenges and solutions for large scale implementation

Stefan A. Lipman et al.

European Journal of Health Economics2026https://doi.org/10.1007/s10198-025-01893-1article
AJG 2ABDC A
Weight
0.50

Abstract

Financial incentives are a promising intervention to promote healthier behaviours and potentially reduce health inequalities. Despite robust evidence supporting their effectiveness in encouraging actions such as smoking cessation, increased physical activity, and improved diet, large-scale implementation of financial incentives in Europe remains limited. This perspective identifies three key challenges impeding their broader use: (1) difficulties in reaching the populations most in need, (2) short-lived behavioural effects after removal of the incentives, and (3) uncertainty about sustainable and equitable funding. Drawing on interdisciplinary evidence, we explore potential solutions such as tailored incentive design, strategies to prolong behavioural change (e.g. intermittent reinforcement or dynamic phase-outs), and the development of public or private funding models. We argue that while financial incentives should not replace structural health policy interventions, they can be a powerful complementary tool. A coordinated research agenda is needed to inform scalable and effective implementation.

Open via your library →

Cite this paper

https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1007/s10198-025-01893-1

Or copy a formatted citation

@article{stefan2026,
  title        = {{Promoting healthy behaviour with financial incentives: three challenges and solutions for large scale implementation}},
  author       = {Stefan A. Lipman et al.},
  journal      = {European Journal of Health Economics},
  year         = {2026},
  doi          = {https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1007/s10198-025-01893-1},
}

Paste directly into BibTeX, Zotero, or your reference manager.

Flag this paper

Promoting healthy behaviour with financial incentives: three challenges and solutions for large scale implementation

Flags are reviewed by the Arbiter methodology team within 5 business days.

Evidence weight

0.50

Balanced mode · F 0.40 / M 0.15 / V 0.05 / R 0.40

F · citation impact0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20
M · momentum0.50 × 0.15 = 0.07
V · venue signal0.50 × 0.05 = 0.03
R · text relevance †0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20

† Text relevance is estimated at 0.50 on the detail page — for your query’s actual relevance score, open this paper from a search result.