Field Test of an Online Worksite Physical Activity Program

This presentation will share the results of a case study of an online physical activity program for employees of a regional medical center. The original intervention program, which was delivered through a printed manual, was initially found effective in a randomized controlled trial of 1442 employees in 16 locations of a large retail organization. The purpose of this study was to pilot an online version of this effective program in 900 health care workers. The physical activity intervention used a multi-level approach including organizational actions and goal-based cognitive-behavioral modification strategies. The components of the 10-week intervention included 1) the use of environmental prompts to raise awareness for physical activity, 2) individual goal setting, and 3) organizational action aimed to increase managerial support for the intervention. The primary outcome measure was physical activity with secondary outcomes including stages of change and a variety of organizational variables including turnover and presenteeism. Outcome variables were collected at baseline, midpoint and post intervention. Goal setting progress and self-reported physical activity (pedometer steps and minutes) were recorded bi-weekly. Employee response to the online version was very positive with initial participation levels three times expected. Results showed that physical activity levels measured by pedometers increased, with 56% of participants indicating the program did a good job of increasing physical activity at the workplace. Both process and outcome data will be presented and implications for practitioners will be discussed. The issues and barriers associated with translating this program to the internet will be discussed.