Walking towards health in a university community: a feasibility study.
OBJECTIVE
Using a randomised control trial design, this study assessed the impact of two walking interventions, on the work day step counts and health of UK academic and administrative, university employees.


METHODS
A convenience sample of 58 women (age 42+/-10 years) and 6 men (age 40+/-11 years) completed baseline and intervention measures for step counts, % body fat, waist circumference and systolic/diastolic blood pressure, during a ten-week period (October to December, 2005). Before intervention, baseline step counts (five working days) were used to randomly allocate participants to a control (maintain normal behaviour, n=22) and two treatment groups ("walking routes", n=21; "walking in tasks", n=21). Intervention effects were evaluated by calculating differences between pre-intervention and intervention data. A one-way ANOVA analysed significant differences between groups.


RESULTS
A significant intervention effect (p<0.002) was found for step counts, with mean differences indicating a decrease in steps for the control group (-767 steps/day) and increases in the "walking routes" (+926 steps/day) and "walking in tasks" (+997 steps/day) groups. Small, non-significant changes were found in % body fat, waist circumference and blood pressure.


CONCLUSIONS
Findings have implications for work-based physical activity promotion and the development of walking interventions within the completion of work-based tasks.
Gilson
Nicholas
N
Carnegie Research Institute, Faculty of Sport and Education, Leeds Metropolitan University, Leeds, Yorkshire, UK. n.gilson@leedsmet.ac.uk
McKenna
Jim
J
Cooke
Carlton
C
Brown
Wendy
W
D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity; D016272:Occupational Health; D012737:Sex Factors; D006113:United Kingdom; D014495:Universities; D016138:Walking / Q000502:physiology*