Development and Implementation of a Community Based Walking Club Leader Training: Increasing social support for physical activity

Increasing physical activity in a community requires a multi-level approach. The University at Albany Prevention Research Center is partnering with communities to increase physical activity in rural areas of Upstate New York by utilizing local public buildings and recreational trails as places for walking. As part of the initiative, focus group interviews were held with residents to identify factors, beyond access, that contribute to the maintenance of physical activity levels. In these interviews, focus group participants emphasized the importance of social support in maintaining physical activity routines.

A community based initiative to increase social support for walking ensued. A walking club leader training curriculum and toolkit incorporating social cognitive theory and social network building activities was developed. Collaboration by community steering committees focused on the identification of key resources to implement the pilot intervention. Two rural communities piloted the training toolkit and intervention. Evaluation of the pilot program by community members and walking club leaders generated unique solutions to improve leader training and program sustainability.

This presentation will describe the collaborative effort to develop and implement the training curriculum and pilot intervention. Results of the pilot intervention including the toolkit evaluation, focus group results, attendance logs, and walking outcomes will be presented.