Workplace pedometer interventions for increasing physical activity

Abstract

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 methodsElectronic searches of the Cochrane Central 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.We found four relevant studies providing data for 1809 employees, 60% of whom were allocated to the intervention group. All studies assessed outcomes immediately after the intervention had finished and the intervention duration varied between three to six months. All studies had usual treatment control conditions; however one study's usual treatment was an alternative physical activity programme while the other three had minimally active controls. In general, there was high risk of bias mainly due to lack of blinding, self reported outcome measurement, incomplete outcome data due to attrition, and most of the studies had not published protocols, which increases the likelihood of selective reporting.Three studies compared the pedometer programme to a minimally active control group, but the results for physical activity could not be combined because each study used a different measure of activity. One study observed an increase in physical activity under a pedometer programme, but the other two did not find a significant difference. For secondary outcomes we found improvements in body mass index, waist circumference, fasting plasma glucose, the quality of life mental component and worksite injury associated with the pedometer programmes, but these results were based on limited data from one or two small studies. There were no differences between the pedometer programme and the control group for blood pressure, a number of biochemical outcomes and the quality of life physical component. Sedentary behaviour and disease risk scores were not measured by any of the included studies.One study compared a pedometer programme and an alternative physical activity programme, but baseline imbalances made it difficult to distinguish the true improvements associated with either programme.Overall, there was insufficient evidence to assess the effecti...

Identifying the Effects of Environmental and Policy Change Interventions on Healthy Eating

“…The suggested conceptualization of the nutrition environment centers on individual perceptions of food in the neighborhood and connects to other higher-order domains, including those at the consumer level (food in neighborhood food outlets), community level (food outlets in the neighborhood), organizational level (food in systems, institutions, or workplaces), informational level (food in media and advertising), and policy level (food affected by governmental decisions) (36) (Figure 1). Story and colleagues (88) outline measures that map to the framework of nutrition environments developed by Glanz et al (44).…”

“…There have been Cochrane and other reviews of workplace health promotion (3, 19, 36, 51), and at least one other systematic review of workplace interventions to improve eating behaviors in adult populations has been published (75). …”

“…In addition, a Cochrane review (36) noted consistent changes as a result of workplace interventions focused on physical activity. Many workplace interventions have included multiple strategies (materials, classes, changes in access to food supplies, and changes in social norms) and have also focused on physical activity to reduce obesity, making it difficult to specify which strategy or target behavior can be credited with behavioral change success and precluding an evidence-based modification of the collection of strategies (3).…”

Lost-time illness, injury and disability and its relationship with obesity in the workplace: A comprehensive literature review

“…Certainly, additional quality research is needed to evaluate programs effectiveness, demonstrate the benefits to policy makers and employers, and to ensure a proper balance between the cost and success of such programs [46]. A literature review examining effectiveness of pedometers as a workplace wellness intervention for increasing physical activity and improving health has been found to be limited, to present low quality data and have not provided enough evidence to properly assess effectiveness of the intervention [47]. Another review by Chau et al of the effectiveness of workplace interventions to reduce sitting and increase active time has shown the lack of evidence on the success of these programs as well [48].…”

An Examination of Workplace Influences on Active Commuting in a Sample of University Employees

“…18,19 Many workplace-based interventions have seen success through a variety of strategies including health-related programming, contests, incentives, and environmental change. [20][21][22][23][24][25] These community institutions have the potential to impact behavior for their employees through a wide variety of evidence-based strategies, although there is limited information on what employer-related factors may impact AC specifically. A study by Kaczynski and colleagues 26 noted a number of workplace-related cultural and environmental influences on AC participation for a sample of adults, although the paucity of evidence in this area is still inconclusive on the strongest influences of AC at the institutional level.…”