Staying fit does pay in the long run

Health authorities and corporations are increasingly offering money to people who quit smoking, lose weight or take medicine, despite uncertainty that these incentives will work beyond a few months, say doctors.

In a paper published online by the British Medical Journal, they said the trend also posed an ethical dilemma, as physicians were being urged to dangle gifts in exchange for a healthier lifestyle.

Health psychologist Theresa Marteau of King's College, London and colleagues reviewed the outcome of a range of "incentive" schemes.