This is a randomised control trial of adults aged 30-70 with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes within a year in Hong Kong to compare the effectiveness of financial incentives and combined financial and social incentives against a control group receiving standard care. We plan to recruit 261 participants and follow them for 9-months (6-month intervention period and a 3-month post-intervention follow-up period) to assess glycemic control and other health indicators. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of three groups (in ratio 1:1:1): arm A (financial incentives in addition to standard care), arm B (financial and social incentives in addition to standard care), and arm C (control arm receiving standard care). Financial incentives will be framed around loss aversion and the endowment effect. Social incentives will include peer competition, and social support. Financial and social incentives are to encourage increased physical activity and participants will use a pedometer to track activity. Participants are followed for an additional 3-months after the cessation of incentives to assess the sustainability of lifestyle changes.~This trial adopts a pragmatic study design based on the PRECIS-2 tool and RE-AIM frameworks.
A randomised control trial of adults with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes to assess the effectiveness of behavioural economics-based incentives on healthy lifestyle behaviour, using a pragmatic trial approach.