Assessing the Impact of Repeat Participation in a Workplace Wellness Challenge

In order to assess the immediate impact of pedometer-based interventions, previous studies have relied upon measures of step counts, physical activity, goal attainment, and anthropometric health outcomes. Long-term assessments of such interventions has been restricted to self-report follow-up surveys or interviews, but published studies assessing the long-term impact of such interventions by comparing the outcomes of repeated physical activity interventions with the same population over time are lacking. To address this void, the outcomes of first time participants in physical activity interventions sponsored by the Sedgwick County Health Department (SCHD) were compared to the outcomes of repeat participants. Health outcomes from 2008 challenge data for participants completing their first SCHD health challenge during 2008 to participants who had previously completed a SCHD health challenge during 2007. Challenge data were derived from participants completing three different instruments during the course of each challenge: 1) a pre- and, 2)post-challenge registration survey, and 3) a weekly log survey. Data collected on these instruments included demographics, challenge goals, physical activity, and weekly activity logs. Repeat participants (M=550,314, SD=492,787) set higher goals for themselves than first-time participants (M=510,272, SD=239,516), t(1404) = 2.033, p = 0.042, d = 0.10) Repeat participants (33.3%) were also more likely than first-time participants (26.3%) to have achieved their step goal ×2 (1, N=1406) = 6.826, p = 0.009, Ö = 0.07). The results of the current study suggest that once individuals achieve success in physical activity interventions, they are more receptive to and participate more fully in subsequent interventions.