--- title: Quit Smoking: Stop Smoking By Providing Financial Incentives description: Paying people to quit their bad health habits may be an effective method to address public health issues like smoking, according to a study. canonical: https://time.com/3684929/quit-smoking-cash/ author: Justin Worland article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-01-27T23:45:48.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T05:05:59.937Z article:section: Health og:title: Paying People Could Help Them Quit Smoking og:description: Paying people to quit their bad health habits may be an effective method to address public health issues like smoking, according to a study. og:url: https://time.com/3684929/quit-smoking-cash/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt54bea3ab9e63f762/69868dce1eebf7aad6370baf/quit_smoking.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1800 og:image:height: 1013 og:image:alt: quit_smoking og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Paying People Could Help Them Quit Smoking twitter:description: Paying people to quit their bad health habits may be an effective method to address public health issues like smoking, according to a study. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt54bea3ab9e63f762/69868dce1eebf7aad6370baf/quit_smoking.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Paying People Could Help Them Quit Smoking > Sponsored content. 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There is no cost and no subscription requirement.  by [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Senior Correspondent Jan 27, 2015 11:45 PM UTC  Peter Dazeley—Getty Images  by [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Senior Correspondent Jan 27, 2015 11:45 PM UTC Paying people to quit their bad health habits may be a powerful way to address public health issues like smoking, according to a new [study](http://www.bmj.com/cgi/doi/10.1136/bmj.h134) in the _BMJ._ In the study, pregnant women were more than twice as likely to quit smoking when offered financial incentives than when they were given regular counseling. “If financial incentives are effective and cost effective they may well have the future potential to sit with vaccines as an important preventive healthcare intervention strategy,” the study says. The research, which looked at more than 600 pregnant women in the United Kingdom, offered women up to $1,200 dollars in shopping vouchers for following steps to quit smoking. Nearly a quarter of women who were offered the money successfully quit smoking. In the control group, a separate group of women received free nicotine therapy and were counseled on how to quit. Less than 9% of those women were able to kick the habit. **Read More:** [What I Learned From My $190,000 Surgery](http://time.com/3659191/what-i-learned-from-my-190000-surgery/) That success gap remained when researchers followed up a year with the women in both groups who had quit. Fifteen percent of the women who had been paid to quit had stayed away from cigarettes, while only 4% of the counseling group quitters had done the same. Using financial incentives to encourage better health behavior has been explored in depth in recent years by public health experts, but many remain skeptical due to underlying ethical concerns. Some have argued that such incentives are coercive and diminish a person’s sense of personal responsibility. But the researchers in this study argue that it can help in more ways than one; getting additional funds before a child’s birth helps the people who need financial assistance the most at the time they need help. “In the developed world there is now a clear socioeconomic gradient in smoking, with tobacco use concentrated among the poorest in society,” the study says. “Receipt of financial incentives can contribute to needed household income in advance of the arrival of a baby in low income households.” ### See the 10 Healthiest Cities to Live in America  Honolulu, Hawaii Best Place for Lifelong Health The heavenly climate helps, but the key to well-being here also includes enviable health care and a rich cultural tradition of looking out for one another. Colin Anderson—Blend Images/Corbis  San Francisco Bay Area, Calif. Best Place for Eating Right. The "farm to table" movement began here. The region's bounty of produce and year-round growing season make eating healthy—and local—a natural. Getty Images  Burlington, Vt. Best Place for Raising Healthy Kids This New England city offers great schools, excellent pediatric care, loads of culture and limitless options for healthy outdoor fun all year long. Matt Hogan/www.mphoganphoto.com  Silicon Valley, Calif. Best Place for Workplace Wellness With treadmill desks, meetings on bikes, time off for creativity, and gobs of organic food, tech titans are reinventing how to stay healthy on the job. Jim Wilson—The New York Times/Redux  Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn. Best Place for Aging Well Yes, it can be cold. But with a plethora of stimulating activities and a robust web of support, the Twin Cities prove that growing old doesn't mean slowing down. Getty Images  Denver and Boulder, Colo. Best Place for Keeping Fit The urge to get outside and get moving is contagious in these Rocky Mountain cities, where physical challenge is built into the landscape. Celin Serbo—Aurora Photos/Corbis  Plano, Texas Best Place for Staying Safe Once a rural outpost, this booming, diverse city has kept its small-town vibe, thanks in part to a police force and community that knows how to work together. Misty Keasler—Redux for TIME  Portland, Ore. Best Place for a Healthy Environment Small, walkable neighborhoods, 300 miles of bike paths, and urban policies that foster active living and sustainability make for one clean, green city. Getty Images  Boston, Mass. Best Place for Health Care This history-rich city is home to some of the nation's most advanced medical institutions and policies that help ensure that quality care is available to all. K.C. Cohen—Courtesy of Boston Children's Hospital  Provo and Orem, Utah Best Place for Spiritual Well-Being A stunning Rocky Mountain backdrop and a tight-knit population that lives its faith contribute not only to this region's serenity but also to lower rates of disease. 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