As corporate wellness programs have increased in popularity, so has the scrutiny and criticism of policies that reward employees for taking measures to become healthier.

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Privacy advocates have raised concerns about workers being forced to share personal information with their employers as well as with third party companies that are hired to conduct the wellness programs, while some experts have suggested that wellness programs are mostly for show, and don't ultimately save employers much money on health care.

A recent study conducted by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania appears to affirm the latter criticism. A study of 197 obese employees taking part in a wellness program showed no significant weight loss among the participants. The workers were were divided into four groups, one of which received no financial incentive to lose weight, two of which were offered reduced insurance premiums and one of which got to participate in a daily lottery as a reward.

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After a year, none of the groups showed significant weight loss. The researchers concluded that the $550 in incentives that the premium reductions and lottery prizes represented may not have been enough to inspire employees to lose weight. The lottery policy required workers to do daily weigh-ins at the workplace, which might have discouraged some participants.

“That made sustained engagement and behavior change more challenging,” Dr. Kevin Volpp, director of the Penn Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics, said in a university press release.

Another researcher, Mitesh Patel, an assistant professor of medicine and health care management, said that modest premium adjustments might also not be enough to motivate sustained behavior changes.

“(T)hese incentives are often delayed and, even when they aren't, they are typically hidden in paychecks along with other deductions and payments,” he said.

The researchers haven't lost hope for all incentives, however. They say the emphasis should be less on size and more on design of the incentives. So far, however, they don't have specifics on what the ideal incentive would look like.

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Are wellness incentives enough?

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