Cash Bribes Don't Help Lower High Blood Pressure, Study Finds

By Dennis Thompson, HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 12, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Offering cash lottery tickets encouraged people to take their blood pressure medications more consistently, but it did not lead to improved health outcomes, a recent study reveals.

Study Results on Medication Adherence and Blood Pressure

Participants who had a chance to win a daily cash reward through a lottery were twice as likely to take their blood pressure medication compared to those without such incentives, according to research published November 9 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Despite improved medication adherence, these participants did not achieve better blood pressure control than those who were not offered cash rewards. Moreover, when the incentive program ended after six months, the participants' medication adherence significantly declined.

Expert Commentary

“Financial incentives clearly worked to change behavior during the study period because people in the rewards group took their medication much more consistently. However, we were surprised that the behavior change didn’t translate to significantly better blood pressure control,” said Dr. John Dodson, lead researcher and associate professor of medicine and population health at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine in New York City.

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Author's summary: Cash incentives increased blood pressure medication adherence temporarily but failed to improve actual blood pressure control or sustain behavior once rewards stopped.

U.S. News & World Report — 2025-11-12