Penn Med study finds competition promotes exercise more than fitness trackers alone

A Penn Medicine study known as STEP UP has found that competition is more effective for increasing individual physical activity than fitness trackers alone.

The recent study tracked 602 employees who were classified as overweight or obese. Participants in the control group were given wearable fitness trackers and received daily step goals, while those in the three experimental groups received the fitness trackers and also participated in "games" designed to help them reach their goals. The researchers found in the experimental groups were much more active overall than those in the control groups. 

Participants in the experimental group participated in one of three games based on principles of behavioral economics. "Support group" participants chose a sponsor who saw whether they met their step goals each week, "collaboration group" participants were split into groups of three and received points based on whether a randomly-selected team member had achieved his or her goal that day, and "competition group" participants were split into teams of three and received weekly emails comparing each of their rankings side by side. 

The researchers found that the competition group members increased their activity by 920 steps per day more than the control group, while support group participants increased activity by 689 steps more and collaboration group participants increased by 637 steps more. 

After six months, the researchers discontinued the games but encouraged participants to continue meeting their own step goals over the next three months. Only the competition group saw a lasting impact three months later as participants continued to walk 569 steps more than control participants each day. 

The study was led by Medicine and Health Care Management professor Mitesh Patel. Patel directs the Penn Medicine Nudge Unit, the world’s first behavioral design team to work within a health system. 

“Gamification and wearable devices are used commonly in workplace wellness programs and by digital health applications, but there is an opportunity to improve their impact on health behaviors by better incorporating behavioral insights and social incentives,” Patel told Penn Medicine News. “Our next step will be to use data from this trial to develop behavioral profiles that could be used in the future to match the right intervention to the right person.”

The study was jointly funded by the Nudge Unit and Deloitte Consulting LLP. Step counts were the only measure of participants’ progress in the study. Resulting weight loss and other health benefits were not tested.