 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
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| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Rayleen Earney, MEd, Health Promotion, Clark County Health District, 625 Shadow Lane, Las Vegas, NV 89127, 702-385-1667, earney@cchd.org and Timothy J Bungum, DrPH, Health Promotion, University of Nevad-Las Vegas, 4505 Maryland Pkwy, Box 453050, Las Vegas, NV 89154.
It is estimated that the physical activity behavior of 60% of American adults is insufficient to produce health benefits. Thus, effective and inexpensive methods of increasing physical activity behavior are needed. Public posting is one method that has been used to improve fitness-related performances. A pre-experimental (O X O O) design was employed. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of using publicly posted pedometer results on a bulletin board, to increase physical activity among a group of volunteer municipal employees. Pedometer results were posted in a busy hallway in the building that all participants worked. Pedometer measured walking steps were recorded for seven weeks in log books by 46 participants. Average weekly steps were recorded at the conclusions of a two-week baseline period, the three-week intervention in which anonymous results were posted using coded names and a two-week post-intervention period. The sample was predominantly female (94%), and Euro-American (80%) with an average age of 43 (11.2) years. Steps taken immediately after the intervention and two weeks post-intervention were significantly greater than the number of steps taken during the baseline period, F(2, 46) = 5.512, (p = .025). Means and standard deviations for weekly baseline steps, intervention steps and post intervention steps were 59909.8 (25605.9), 67578.0, (24523.0), and 67842.2 (25512.6) respectively. It appears that public, yet anonymously posted pedometer data may be an effective tool to increase physical activity.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Exercise,
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.