An experimental evaluation of an incentive program to reduce serum cholesterol levels among health fair participants
V. T. Francisco, A. L. Paine, S. B. Fawcett, J. Johnston and D. Banks
Department of Human Development, University of Kansas, Lawrence.
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact of a health fair and incentive program on
the reduction of serum cholesterol levels among participants. DESIGN:
Pretest-posttest control group design, with a 6-month delay between pretest
and posttest screenings. SETTING: Health fair program for employees of a
large midwestern school district. PARTICIPANTS: Volunteer sample among
persons with serum cholesterol levels above 5.17 mmol/L (200 mg/dL).
Participants were randomly assigned to experimental (N = 29) and comparison
groups (N = 34). INTERVENTION: The intervention consisted of four
components: a health fair, health risk information, announcement of
follow-up screening, and an incentive program. The incentive program
consisted of five $100 cash prizes for reducing serum cholesterol levels by
20% or below 5.17 mmol/L (200 mg/dL). The comparison group received only
the first three components. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Serum cholesterol levels
were measured by a venipuncture, nonfasting, chemical analysis process.
RESULTS: The experimental group showed a 13.2% reduction in serum
cholesterol levels, and the comparison group exhibited an 11.3% reduction
(P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: A health fair, consisting of information on the
level of risk and how to reduce risk, and announcement of follow-up
screening and incentives can reduce the risk for cardiovascular disease.
