Put Your Money Where Your Butt Is : A Commitment Contract for Smoking Cessation
The authors designed and tested a voluntary commitment product to help smokers quit smoking. The product (CARES) offered smokers a savings account in which they deposit funds for six months, after which they take a urine test for nicotine and cotinine. If they pass, their money is returned; otherwise, their money is forfeited to charity. Eleven percent of smokers offered CARES tookup, and smokers randomly offered CARES were 3 percentage points more likely to pass the 6-month test than the control group. More importantly, this effect persisted in surprise tests at 12 months, indicating that CARES produced lasting smoking cessation.
Summary: | The authors designed and tested a
voluntary commitment product to help smokers quit smoking.
The product (CARES) offered smokers a savings account in
which they deposit funds for six months, after which they
take a urine test for nicotine and cotinine. If they pass,
their money is returned; otherwise, their money is forfeited
to charity. Eleven percent of smokers offered CARES tookup,
and smokers randomly offered CARES were 3 percentage points
more likely to pass the 6-month test than the control group.
More importantly, this effect persisted in surprise tests at
12 months, indicating that CARES produced lasting smoking cessation. |
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