226998 Walk the Walk: A public school intervention for worksite wellness

Monday, November 8, 2010 : 9:30 AM - 9:45 AM

Sue Baldwin, PhD, CHES , Department of Health and Wellness, State University College at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY
Pete Renkas, BS , Health and Physical Education, Buffalo State College, Buffalo, NY
Over the last 20 years worksite wellness initiatives, those programs that take an individual or an organization to a higher level of health, have been implemented in large businesses, various industries and in public settings to improve overall health of employees and increase productivity. Changing lifestyle habits can be difficult to accomplish and bringing wellness activities to the workplace eliminates barriers to information that employees can use to improve their health. In the spring of 2009, the Walk the Walk Program, an 8 week walking and blood pressure self-monitoring program, was initiated in a Buffalo Public High School. The goal of the program was to increase physical activity and encourage weekly blood pressure self monitoring for participants. Twenty five participants from the school completed the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) at the beginning and end of the program to assess physical activity data. The Transtheoretical Model of Behavior Change (TTM) was the framework used in the Walk the Walk program. The TTM postulates that behavior change is a dynamic process involving movement through a sequence of discrete, qualitative distinct stages. Change scores were analyzed from the TTM. One of the program's goals was to move participants along these phases of change toward behavioral action. All of the areas of change improved as a result of this program. In addition, the IPAQ was used to assess various types of physical activity. Almost all of the areas of physical activity evaluated increased during the intervention.

Learning Areas:
Administer health education strategies, interventions and programs
Assessment of individual and community needs for health education
Chronic disease management and prevention
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Program planning

Learning Objectives:
Identify the process for developing and implementing a work site wellness program in a public high school Explain the value of implementing a work site wellness program in a public school setting To evaluate the effectiveness of a worksite wellness program and determine effective next steps

Keywords: Worksite, Wellness

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am qualified to present because I have planned, implemented and evaluated worksite health promotion programs for over 20 years. I also serve as an Assistant Professor and Internship Program Coordinator of a community health program that places students in worksite health promotion program settings and I also serve as a CDC School Health Index Trainer (the tool emphasizes a worksite health promotion module).
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.