Evaluating the WOMAN challenge: Women and girls out moving across the nation

An estimated 127 million American adults, 64.5 percent of the adult population, and more than nine million children and teens are overweight or obese. Research has demonstrated that small improvements in nutrition and physical activity and especially pedometer-based walking programs, can significantly improve health. For National Women's Health Week 2006, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office on Women's Health sponsored the 8-week, national WOMAN (Woman and girls On the Move Across the Nation) Challenge, a web-based intervention encouraging women and girls to increase their physical activity for a healthy lifestyle. The first 6,500 participants received free pedometers, and free arm-band pedometers were provided to the first 138 participants with mobility impairments. All participants received tracking logs, motivational emails, and age-appropriate health information. More than 17,600 participants used the interactive website to track their progress on one of six virtual routes. Data from the website and participant feedback informed an evaluation of the 2006 Challenge. Key findings illustrated the motivational effect of team participation and of setting individualized goals. These findings have helped to shape the 2007 WOMAN Challenge. The 2007 APHA Annual Meeting provides a valuable opportunity for sharing the success of the WOMAN Challenge as a powerful model of obesity prevention and health promotion programming to assist people in achieving healthy lifestyles.