What motivates physical activity better – research

All study participants were at risk of heart disease, and their average age was 67.7 years.

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People perform physical exercises more actively if they have a combined motivation – monetary and gaming.

This is evidenced by the results of a study, during which scientists analyzed the behavior of people at risk of cardiovascular diseases in order to understand which motivation to do sports is more effective. The results published in the weekly scientific journal Circulation.

As noted NewsMedical and The Washington Postscientists observed 1,062 participants, whose average age was 66.7 years.

Participants were divided into three groups according to the type of motivation for reaching the weekly running time goal: game trophies, monetary reward, and mixed (both previous incentives).

The first group was game oriented. Its members received points for completed goals and lost them in case of failure. They could change levels (platinum, gold, silver, bronze or blue) depending on the number of accumulated points.

The second group of participants received $14 for each successful week. The penalty for not meeting the goal was a $2 fine.

A control group also took part in the study. Its participants only received daily messages about the number of steps taken.

All the individuals involved were given trackers with which the researchers could track their activity.

Participants received the specified type of motivation for 12 months, after which they received daily text messages with information on the number of steps (another 6 months).

In general, the average increase in the number of steps from the initial level was:

• for the first group – 1915,
• for the second group – 1954,
• for the third group – 2297,
• for the control group – 1418.

During the period of motivation, the combined group showed the greatest increase in the average daily number of steps. During the next six months, the duration of physical activity in minutes was the largest in this group, and it was almost the same in the first two.

As a result, people in the “game plus money” group increased the number of steps the most and maintained increased physical activity for at least six months after the end of the year-long study.

The researchers explain the increase in activity not only by the development of the habit of exercising and the availability of regular information about the results of sports, but also by the desire of the participants to reduce the risk of death from cardiovascular diseases.

“Even moderate exercise can significantly reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, so finding low-cost ways to get people moving and staying in a fitness program they can do at home is a huge win for public health.”said the US National Institutes of Health, which funded the research.

Earlier we wrote about daily physical activity affects for heart health.