TY - JOUR
T1 - Monetary contracts in weight control
T2 - Effectiveness of group and individual contracts of varying size
AU - Jeffery, Robert W.
AU - Gerber, Wendy M.
AU - Rosenthal, Barbara S.
AU - Lindquist, Ruth A.
PY - 1983/4/1
Y1 - 1983/4/1
N2 - 89 overweight adult males (aged 35-57 yrs) drawn from a community population sample were assigned randomly to 1 of 6 treatment groups for weight reduction. All groups participated in a 15-wk behaviorally oriented program. Each involved a monetary contract in which participant deposits were returned contingent on weight lost. The program goal was 30 pounds lost. Groups varied in (a) amount of deposit ($30, $150, or $300) and (b) type of contract (refunds contingent on either individual or mean group performance). It was found that group contracts were associated with significantly more weight loss than individual contracts. This difference was maintained over 1-yr follow-up. Amount of deposit was positively, although weakly, related to short-term treatment outcomes. However, the short-term advantage of the larger contracts disappeared rapidly with time. Neither type nor amount of deposit significantly affected participation rates. Overall weight losses in the study were large. (28 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved).
AB - 89 overweight adult males (aged 35-57 yrs) drawn from a community population sample were assigned randomly to 1 of 6 treatment groups for weight reduction. All groups participated in a 15-wk behaviorally oriented program. Each involved a monetary contract in which participant deposits were returned contingent on weight lost. The program goal was 30 pounds lost. Groups varied in (a) amount of deposit ($30, $150, or $300) and (b) type of contract (refunds contingent on either individual or mean group performance). It was found that group contracts were associated with significantly more weight loss than individual contracts. This difference was maintained over 1-yr follow-up. Amount of deposit was positively, although weakly, related to short-term treatment outcomes. However, the short-term advantage of the larger contracts disappeared rapidly with time. Neither type nor amount of deposit significantly affected participation rates. Overall weight losses in the study were large. (28 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved).
KW - amount of monetary deposit returned contingent on weight loss, weight loss, overweight 35-57 yr old males
KW - group vs individual contract &
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0020741563&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=0020741563&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1037/0022-006X.51.2.242
DO - 10.1037/0022-006X.51.2.242
M3 - Article
C2 - 6841768
AN - SCOPUS:0020741563
SN - 0022-006X
VL - 51
SP - 242
EP - 248
JO - Journal of consulting and clinical psychology
JF - Journal of consulting and clinical psychology
IS - 2
ER -