Effects of Incentives on Adherence to a Web-Based Intervention Promoting Physical Activity: Naturalistic Study.

Background: Despite many advantages of web-based health behavior interventions such as wide accessibility or low costs, these interventions are often accompanied by high attrition rates, particularly in usage under real-life conditions. It would therefore be helpful to implement strategies such as the use of financial incentives to motivate program participation and increase adherence.

Objective: This naturalistic study examined real-life usage data of a 12-week web-based physical activity (PA) intervention (Fitness Coach) among insurants who participated in an additional incentive program (incentive group) and those who did not (nonincentive group).