The BWH Wellness Project

The Brigham and Women's Hospital Wellness Project

The investigators propose a 24 week program to provide proof-of-principle evidence that financial incentives stimulate Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) employees to be more physically active.

Participants wear a Fitbit Flex accelerometer for at least six months. During the first two weeks, they are paid simply for wearing the Fitbit. After that, they are regularly paid for either meeting CDC guidelines for moderate physical activity (PA) or increasing their PA by at least 10% from the preceding week. Moderate PA is defined as walking for at least 100 steps per minute for at least 10 minutes at a time. One minute of vigorous PA, over 175 steps/minute, counts as two minutes of moderate PA.

In addition to weekly bonuses, there are also bonuses for achieving all goals in 1 month, 3 month, and 6 month intervals. In cases where all three team members received a bonus, their bonuses are doubled. Individuals also fill out weekly questionnaires about their work attendance, as well as longer questionnaires at baseline, three months, and six months.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Brigham and Women's Hospital employee
• Reported less than 30 minutes of exercise per week
• Use a computer daily at work or home
• Willing to wear a pedometer, undergo health screening, and complete occasional questionnaires

Exclusion Criteria:

• Occupation: Physician, nurse or other clinician
• Self-reported pregnancy at baseline