A county extension-delivered, email-mediated walking intervention: A programme evaluation

Abstract

Objective: The promotion of walking could be a feasible population-level physical activity strategy because it requires little planning, is low cost and can be done year-round across settings. Community, nonprofit organisations offer one means by which to help increase walking through community programmes. The US Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service has a history that spans more than a century and is known for quality in the delivery of educational programmes to help improve the lives of people in communities across the USA. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness, feasibility and acceptability of the Get WalkIN’ intervention – an initiative supported by this programme – from the perspectives of both programme participants and county extension educators. Methods: Participants were recruited from 15 county extension sites in the Midwest region of the USA. Intervention emails targeted self-efficacy, social support, goal-setting and benefits/barriers to walking. To assess the perceptions of feasibility and acceptability of the intervention, participants and extension educators were asked to respond to a series of Likert-type scale and open-ended questions. Self-reported physical activity was assessed using the Godin Leisure-Time Physical Activity Questionnaire. Results: On average, participants and extension educators agreed that the programme was easy to use and would consider either recommending the programme to a friend or implementing the programme again within the community. Post-intervention, 69.1% of respondents were classified as sufficiently active compared to 60.5% pre-intervention. Conclusion: The use of the county-based US Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service is an effective option for health promotion programming. Furthermore, a theory-based, email-mediated intervention is a valuable strategy as an independent and convenient way to facilitate increase in physical activity.

Barriers and Motivators to Physical Activity Prior to Starting a Community-Based Walking Program

“…Qualitative data were coded and categorized independently by two researchers. The first step of thematic analysis was familiarization [14,15]. Initially both coders read participant responses several times to familiarize themselves with the data.…”

“…Guided by social cognitive theory, the overarching goal of Get WalkIN' is to increase participant self-efficacy by addressing commonly reported barriers while also promoting important motivators and reinforcements of walking behavior. To do so, email messages targeting constructs of self-efficacy, social support, self-monitoring, goal setting, barriers, motivators, relapse prevention are sent twice weekly for the first four weeks and then weekly for the following eight weeks [15].…”

“…Over the course of four program years (June 2017-May 2021), county-based Extension Educators have recruited participants for Get WalkIN'. As part of the Get WalkIN' toolkit [15], Extension Educators are given tailored recruitment materials which include social media messages, news releases, newspaper articles and flyers. Educators also recruited using pre-existing email listservs and during current Extension programs.…”

What Works and for Whom? Outcome Evaluation of an E-mail Walking Program Delivered Through Cooperative Extension

“… 13 Further, an initial evaluation of the pilot of this program is also available. 10 This community-based program was deemed exempt by institutional review board, including for written informed consent. Prior to completion of program surveys, participants are presented with an online study information sheet.…”

Statewide Dissemination of an Evidenced-Based Email Walking Program Delivered Through Cooperative Extension

“…Self-efficacy also encompasses the ability to overcome barriers to the behavior and exertion of self-control of the behavior through the use of self-regulation and goal setting. Self-efficacy directly influences physical activity behavior and can act as a mediator by indirectly influencing behavior through other theoretical constructs such as social support (16).…”