Employer schemes to encourage walking to work: feasibility study incorporating an exploratory randomised controlled trial

Audrey, Suzanne; Procter, Sunita; Cooper, Ashley R; Mutrie, Nanette; Hollingworth, William; Davis, Adrian; Kipping, Ruth; Insall, Philip; Garfield, Kirsty; Campbell, Rona

doi:10.3310/phr03040

Cited by 11 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 49 publications

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“…The current cluster RCT incorporated lessons learned from the Walk to Work feasibility study [National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Public Health Research (PHR) project number 10/3001/04]. 49 The aim of the feasibility study was to build on existing knowledge and resources to develop an employer-led scheme to increase walking to work and to test the feasibility of implementing and evaluating it in a full-scale cluster RCT. The objectives were to (1) explore with employees and employers the barriers to, and facilitators of, employer-led schemes to promote walking to work, (2) use existing resources and websites to develop a Walk to Work information pack to train work-based Walk to Work promoters, and (3) conduct an exploratory RCT of the intervention to pilot workplace and employee recruitment procedures, examine retention rates, pilot cost and outcome measures and inform a sample size calculation for a full RCT.…”

Section: Aim and Objectivesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The application for a full-scale trial followed on from a feasibility study that included phase I development of the intervention and a phase II exploratory trial. 49 During phase I, focus groups were conducted with employees in three workplaces; their views were sought on the design of the Walk to Work intervention and its evaluation, including the use of accelerometers and GPS monitors. Further interviews were conducted during phase II.…”

Section: Participant and Public Involvementmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Because of the potential for seasonality to influence travel behaviour, the study was structured so that the baseline and the 12-month follow-up data collections took place during spring and early summer. Following the feasibility study, 49 it was felt that the workplace recruitment process should be simplified so that employers were not required to calculate the number of employees who lived within 2 miles of the workplace before being recruited to the study. This requirement had appeared to be onerous for some workplaces that did not sign up for the study after an initial expression of interest.…”

Section: Project Timetable and Milestonesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Across the 87 workplaces, 654 participants were recruited, with a mean cluster size of approximately 8 (as was the case during the feasibility study). 49 The number of participants in each workplace at baseline ranged from 1 to 28. The average age was 40 years and the majority of participants (455, 65.9%) lived in a household with an income of > £30,000 per year ( Table 8).…”

Section: Participant Recruitment and Characteristicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A workplace-based intervention to increase levels of daily physical activity: the Travel to Work cluster RCT

et al. 2019

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Background There may be opportunities for working adults to accumulate recommended physical activity levels (≥ 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity in bouts of ≥ 10 minutes throughout the week) during the commute to work. Systematic reviews of interventions to increase active transport indicate that studies are predominantly of poor quality, rely on self-report and lack robust statistical analyses. Objectives To assess the effectiveness, cost and consequences of a behavioural intervention to increase walking during the commute to work. Design A multicentre, parallel-arm, cluster randomised controlled trial incorporating economic and process evaluations. Physical activity outcomes were measured using accelerometers and GPS (Global Positioning System) receivers at baseline and the 12-month follow-up. Setting Workplaces in seven urban areas in south-west England and south Wales. Participants Employees (n = 654) in 87 workplaces. Interventions Workplace-based Walk to Work promoters were trained to implement a 10-week intervention incorporating key behaviour change techniques. Main outcome measures The primary outcome was the daily number of minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Secondary outcomes included MVPA during the commute, overall levels of physical activity and modal shift (from private car to walking). Cost–consequences analysis included employer, employee and health service costs and consequences. Process outcomes included barriers to, and facilitators of, walking during the daily commute. Results There was no evidence of an intervention effect on MVPA at the 12-month follow-up [adjusted difference in means 0.3 minutes, 95% confidence interval (CI) –5.3 to 5.9 minutes]. The intervention cost was on average, £181.97 per workplace and £24.19 per participating employee. In comparison with car users [mean 7.3 minutes, standard deviation (SD) 7.6 minutes], walkers (mean 34.3 minutes, SD 18.6 minutes) and public transport users (mean 25.7 minutes, SD 14.0 minutes) accrued substantially higher levels of daily MVPA during the commute. Participants who walked for ≥ 10 minutes during their commute were more likely to have a shorter commute distance (p < 0.001). No access to a car (p < 0.001) and absence of free workplace car parking (p < 0.01) were independently related to walking to work and using public transport. Higher quality-of-life scores were observed for the intervention group in a repeated-measures analysis (mean 0.018, 95% CI 0.000 to 0.036; scores anchored at 0 indicated ‘no capability’ and scores anchored at 1 indicated ‘full capability’). Conclusions Although this research showed that walking to work and using public transport are important contributors to physical activity levels in a working population, the behavioural intervention was insufficient to change travel behaviour. Broader contextual factors, such as length of journey, commuting options and availability of car parking, may influence the effectiveness of behavioural interventions to change travel behaviour. Further analyses of statistical and qualitative data could focus on physical activity and travel mode and the wider determinants of workplace travel behaviour. Trial registration Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN15009100. Funding This project was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Public Health Research programme and will be published in full in Public Health Research; Vol. 7, No. 11. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information. Living Streets, a UK charity promoting everyday walking, provided funding for the intervention booklets and free pedometers for distribution to participants in the intervention group.

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Section: Aim and Objectivesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Participant and Public Involvementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Project Timetable and Milestonesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Participant Recruitment and Characteristicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A workplace-based intervention to increase levels of daily physical activity: the Travel to Work cluster RCT

et al. 2019

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“…-финансовая/спонсорская поддержка работников при использовании общественного транспорта (как альтернативы личному автомобилю) и занятий в спортивных клубах, фитнес-центрах, побуждение их к пешей ходьбе и использованию велосипедов по дороге на работу и т.д. [17,18].…”

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Significance of the All-Russian physical education and sports complex «Ready for labor and defense (RLD)» for the development of workplace health promotion programs

Bochkareva¹,

Kopylova²,

Калинина³

2015

Profil. med.

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Программы укрепления здоровья на рабочем месте (УЗРМ) являются одним из приоритетных направлений социальной политики отечественных и зарубежных компаний. Их реализация способствует развитию человеческого капитала, повышению его качества и конкурентоспособности. В современных условиях программы УЗРМ в первую очередь должны быть направлены на профилактику хронических неинфекционных заболеваний (НИЗ),

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Workplace pedometer interventions for increasing physical activity

Freak‐Poli

Cumpston

Albarqouni

et al. 2020

Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews

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BackgroundThe World Health Organization and the World Economic Forum have recommended further research to strengthen current knowledge of workplace health programmes, particularly on effectiveness and using simple instruments. A pedometer is one such simple instrument that can be incorporated in workplace interventions. ObjectivesTo assess the effectiveness of pedometer interventions in the workplace for increasing physical activity and improving subsequent health outcomes. Search methods Electronic searches of the CochraneCentral Register of Controlled Trials (671 potential papers), MEDLINE (1001), Embase (965), CINAHL (1262), OSH UPDATE databases (75) and Web of Science (1154) from the earliest record to between 30th January and 6th February 2012 yielded 3248 unique records. Reference lists of articles yielded an additional 34 papers. Contact with individuals and organisations did not produce any further records. Selection criteriaWe included individual and cluster-randomised controlled trials of workplace health promotion interventions with a pedometer component in employed adults. The primary outcome was physical activity and was part of the eligibility criteria. We considered subsequent health outcomes, including adverse effects, as secondary outcomes. Data collection and analysisTwo review authors undertook the screening of titles and abstracts and the full-text papers independently. Two review authors (RFP and MC) independently completed data extraction and risk of bias assessment. We contacted authors to obtain additional data and clarification.

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Employer schemes to encourage walking to work: feasibility study incorporating an exploratory randomised controlled trial

Cited by 11 publications

References 49 publications

A workplace-based intervention to increase levels of daily physical activity: the Travel to Work cluster RCT

A workplace-based intervention to increase levels of daily physical activity: the Travel to Work cluster RCT

Significance of the All-Russian physical education and sports complex «Ready for labor and defense (RLD)» for the development of workplace health promotion programs

Workplace pedometer interventions for increasing physical activity

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