An Incentivized, Workplace Physical Activity Intervention Preferentially Increases Daily Steps in Inactive Employees

Mason, M Ryan; Ickes, Melinda J.; Campbell, Marilyn S.; Bollinger, Lance M.

doi:10.1177/0890117117723803

Cited by 16 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…However, the magnitude was smaller than that reported in Faghri et al (2008) where they used similar strategies, but involved a less active population (> 20% increase at week 6) or in Wilson et al (2010) where they included more intervention strategies focusing on the organizational level, such as establishing staff steering committees and company-wide participation competition (> 10% increase at week 6). The effects were also smaller than another incentivized, FitBit-based PA intervention, in which the analyses only included participants with complete data (12% increase at week 6) (Mason et al 2018). These comparisons provide preliminary support of the theoretical framework used for the UPnGO program as well as information to inform the direction of future program refinement and evaluation.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 85%

Program implementation and effectiveness of a national workplace physical activity intervention: UPnGO with ParticipACTION

Lau

Faulkner

2019

Can J Public Health

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Intervention UPnGO with ParticipACTION (UPnGO) is a 6-week workplace physical activity (PA) initiative aiming to increase habitual PA (steps) during the workday. Core intervention components included (1) self-monitoring of steps and action planning behaviours using a Web/mobile app with incentives and (2) organizational support, which included senior management's role modeling and endorsement of the program. Research question What is the effectiveness and levels of implementation of the UPnGO intervention? What is the relationship between effectiveness and levels of implementation? Methods A single-arm, pre-/post-test study design was used. Participants were 660 employees from nine organizations who had valid step data and complete socio-demographic information at baseline. The primary outcome (mean daily steps) was assessed by Garmin VivoFit. Using the usage data from the UPnGO web-based system, a composite score for levels of implementation was calculated based on participant's compliance with the self-monitoring component and senior management's role modeling. Associations of interest were analyzed using linear mixed-effects models. Results Levels of implementation were highly variable across organizations (mean = 68.22% ± 18.75, range = 19.8 to 100%). A significant Time × Implementation (IM) status interaction effect was observed. When stratified by IM status, a significant increase in mean daily steps at week 6 was found among participants in the high (β = 540.01 ± 202.69, p = 0.011) but not low (β = − 81.54 ± 291.96, p = 0.78) implementation group. Conclusion Findings suggest significant intervention effects in increasing average daily steps among participants who were exposed to optimal levels of implementation (~70%). UPnGO may be a scalable workplace PA intervention at a national level, although this needs further verification with more rigorous study designs.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 85%

Program implementation and effectiveness of a national workplace physical activity intervention: UPnGO with ParticipACTION

Lau

Faulkner

2019

Can J Public Health

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“…Accordingly, there is increasing interest in techniques to improve continuing employee engagement in these programs, especially employees with increased health risks. This includes supportive social and physical environments to support lifestyle changes, 10,11 financial incentives based on behavioral economic theory to encourage participation, 11,12 and the increasing interest in the positive effects of gamification. [13][14][15] Gamification has been defined as "the use of game design elements in nongame contexts".…”

Section: Purposementioning

confidence: 99%

The Sustainability of a Workplace Wellness Program That Incorporates Gamification Principles: Participant Engagement and Health Benefits After 2 Years

et al. 2019

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Purpose: To evaluate the results of a workplace wellness program that incorporates gamification principles. Design: In this prospective cohort study, the participation rate and observed health outcomes were evaluated after approximately 2 years. Setting and participants: All permanent employees (n = 775) of a national company located in Canada were eligible to participate. Intervention: The wellness program included web-based challenges (team or individual) incorporating gamification strategies to improve exercise, nutrition, weight reduction, and mental health management behaviors. Measures and analysis: The primary outcomes were employee participation rates. The secondary pre-specified outcomes were the sustained benefits of the program on physical and mental health measures. Results: Participation rates in the health screenings were 78% (baseline), 54% (year 1), and 56% (year 2). Participation in the 4 team web-based challenges ranged from 33% to 68% with 76% to 86% of participants tracking their activity on at least half of the days. After 2 years, there were significant clinical improvements in systolic blood pressure (−1.3mm Hg), total cholesterol/high-density lipoprotein (HDL) ratio (−0.14), glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c; −0.1%), weekly physical activity (+264 Metabolic Equivalents [METs]), perceived stress score (−17%), insomnia severity index (−16%), general fatigue (−10%), and reductions in the cardiovascular age gap (−0.3 years). Greater benefits occurred among employees at higher risk. Conclusions: Workplace wellness programs that evolve over time and focus primarily on fun and competitive challenges may support long-term participation, behavior change, and sustained improvements in clinical outcomes.

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“…The use of fitness trackers, such as Fitbit, can generate a motivational effect on a person, based on the results of the pilot project, however this initial motivation may decline over time. Interventions in mHealth have fallen short in determining if wearables or Mobile apps working independently manage to increase physical activity routines or change eating habits in a sustained manner (2,(11)(12)(13). More research is required to understand the disposition of employees on sharing personal data with companies.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The use of eHealth to design a regional health promotion program in the workplace: Institute of Costa Rican Electricity case series

Zamora-Ilarionov¹,

Rodriguez²

2020

mHealth

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The development of sustainable health promotion programs in the workplace requires a coordinated systematic approach. Costs and resources often cause barriers to implement workplace programs in low-and middle-income countries. The objective of the case series is to evaluate the feasibility of health informatics to evaluate and monitor the physical activity and dietary habits of individuals in the workplace on a small scale as a preparation to implement the health promotion program across a company in Costa Rica.Participants were 25 employees where 17 participants had a body mass index (BMI) of 25.0 km/m 2 or more. This case series assesses and evaluates patient data during an 8-week period using multiple tools of eHealth technologies such as an Electronic Health Record (EHR), a Personal Health Record (PHR), electronic surveys and fitness trackers with compatible mobile applications. Adherence to wearing Fitbit was high and stable with a mean of 97.5% over 30 days (n=16). The participants in the first week walked on average 8,239 steps but, at the end of the fourth week, the average steps decreased to 7,798. The dietary electronic survey was answered satisfactorily by 86.6% of the employees (n=25). The employees scored on average 35 out of 100 on a diet quality scale. The consumption of vegetables, beans, whole grains, nuts and seeds is lower than the recommended dietary guidelines of 60. The integration of eHealth technologies can provide a clearer understanding of the employees' health situation to more appropriately allocate efforts to promote behavior change where needed most.

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An Incentivized, Workplace Physical Activity Intervention Preferentially Increases Daily Steps in Inactive Employees

Abstract: An incentivized, workplace PA intervention preferentially increases PA and is most cost-effective among university employees with low initial PA who may benefit substantially from increased levels of PA.

Cited by 16 publications

References 40 publications

Program implementation and effectiveness of a national workplace physical activity intervention: UPnGO with ParticipACTION

Program implementation and effectiveness of a national workplace physical activity intervention: UPnGO with ParticipACTION

The Sustainability of a Workplace Wellness Program That Incorporates Gamification Principles: Participant Engagement and Health Benefits After 2 Years

The use of eHealth to design a regional health promotion program in the workplace: Institute of Costa Rican Electricity case series

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