FAQ: Cash Rewards for Blood Pressure Medication Adherence Study
TL;DR
Financial incentives doubled medication adherence in the BETTER-BP study, offering a strategic advantage for healthcare programs targeting patient compliance.
The BETTER-BP study used electronic pill bottles and daily cash rewards to systematically measure medication adherence in 400 adults with high blood pressure.
This research advances understanding of behavioral interventions that could improve long-term health outcomes for vulnerable populations with hypertension.
Cash rewards doubled blood pressure medication use but surprisingly did not improve blood pressure outcomes more than the control group.
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The study found that participants were twice as likely to take their blood pressure medication when offered daily cash rewards, but despite better medication adherence, they achieved similar blood pressure reductions compared to those not offered rewards.
The study included 400 adults with high blood pressure who received care at three community health clinics in New York City, primarily serving Medicaid patients and uninsured individuals.
Researchers used electronic pill bottles that recorded when bottles were opened to measure daily medication use, rather than relying on patient self-reporting.
When the rewards program ended, participants in the rewards group returned to their previous habits of not taking medication as prescribed.
This research is important because it shows that while financial incentives can improve medication adherence, they may not necessarily translate to better health outcomes and the behavior change may not be sustainable without ongoing incentives.
The average systolic blood pressure among all participants was 139 mm Hg at the time of enrollment in the study.
The research was presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2025 in New Orleans and simultaneously published in the peer-reviewed journal JACC.
The study focused on Medicaid patients and uninsured individuals because prior studies show these groups often have higher rates of uncontrolled blood pressure and are less likely to consistently take their medication.
According to the American Heart Association, not taking blood pressure medication as directed can increase the risk of heart attack and stroke.
Curated from NewMediaWire
