The Los Angeles Lift Off: a sociocultural environmental change intervention to integrate physical activity into the workplace.
OBJECTIVE
To present the development and feasibility testing of a sociocultural environmental change intervention strategy aimed at integrating physical activity into workplace routine.


METHODS
Randomized, controlled, post-test only, intervention trial. Setting. Los Angeles County Department of Health Services' worksites.


METHODS
Four hundred forty-nine employees, predominantly sedentary, overweight, middle-aged women of color, distributed across 26 meetings.


METHODS
A single 10-min exercise break during work time involving moderate intensity, low-impact aerobic dance and calisthenic movements to music.


METHODS
Primary-level of participation, particularly among sedentary staff; secondary-self-perceived health status, satisfaction with current fitness level, and mood/affective state.


RESULTS
More than 90% of meeting attendees participated in the exercises. Among completely sedentary individuals, intervention participants' self-perceived health status ratings were significantly lower than controls' (OR = 0.17; 95% CI = 0.05, 0.60; P = 0.0003). Among all respondents not regularly physically active, intervention participants' levels of satisfaction with fitness were more highly correlated with self-ranked physical activity stage of change (r = 0.588) than the control participants' (r = 0.376, z = -2.32, p = 0.02). Among the completely sedentary, control participants reported significantly higher levels of energy than did intervention participants (P < 0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
Captive audiences may be engaged in brief bouts of exercise as a part of the workday, regardless of physical activity level or stage of change. This experience may also appropriately erode sedentary individuals' self-perception of good health and fitness, providing motivation for adoption of more active lifestyles.
Yancey
Antronette K
AK
University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA. ayancey@ucla.edu
McCarthy
William J
WJ
Taylor
Wendell C
WC
Merlo
Angela
A
Gewa
Constance
C
Weber
Mark D
MD
Fielding
Jonathan E
JE
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D018864:Cultural Diversity; D015444:Exercise; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D015141:Los Angeles; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008913:Minority Groups; D009765:Obesity / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000628:therapy*; D009786:Occupational Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D017132:Workplace