Studying the Effectiveness of a Game to Help People Quit Smoking
hubie writes:
Hennepin Healthcare investigators study game to help people quit smoking:
Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute is testing an innovative way to help people quit smoking - by letting them bet on themselves and win real money. It's part of a new game called QuitBet and it's being funded by a National Institutes of Health (NIH) research grant administered by researchers at Hennepin Healthcare.
Players commit to quit smoking over four weeks and bet $30 on themselves, which goes into the pot. Players then receive a free breath testing device to track their progress every day. At the end, all the players who have managed to quit win back their bet plus a profit as they split the pot with the other winners. Winners typically double their money while quitting smoking.
Developed by digital-health company WayBetter, QuitBet is an example of the "serious games" movement where games are employed to improve health. [...]
"Quitting smoking is hard, but who said it also has to be solitary and frustrating?" said Rosen. "Why not mix in some fun, friendly competition and the thrill of winning money? It's a powerful new way to think about the problem. We're finding that it really helps people get through those tough first few weeks."
The game lasts four weeks. Is that long enough to be off nicotine to prevent relapses and considered yourself to have quit? I've seen late night TV commercials for weight loss that sounds like works on this model. Do you think this could be widely effective, or is the fact that there is a weight loss company presumably making money on people who lose their bets evidence that the approach doesn't work for most?
If you want to join the study, visit https://Quit.bet.
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