Step It Out At Work

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• Step It Out At Work
• Challenge
• Walking .
• for fun for all!

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Brief Overview

• Background
• Concept
• Aim of the challenge
• Details of the challenge
• Implementing the challenge
• Challenge card contents
• Concluding the challenge
• Evaluating the challenge
• Results
• Future Recommendations

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Background

• Lifestyle Challenge
• Staff eager to have some form of physical
  activity challenge again.
• Health Promotion Committee focused on walking.
• Walking - main activity undertaken in the
  Lifestyle Challenge by staff.

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Rationale

• Workplace - important setting to promote physical
  activity.
• The Walkways to Health (Bealach na Beatha)
  programme embraces the concept of workplace
  health promotion which looks at creating a
  supportive environment for employees to engage in
  healthy activity.
• As the workplace is an important setting to
  promote physical activity amongst staff
  incorporated into this challenge was the task of
  achieving physical activity while at work through
  the Walkways to Health initiative.

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• Walkways to Health initiative was developed by
  the Health Promotion Department (HPD), HSE South
  (Cork Kerry).
• The aim of the Walkway to Health is to encourage
  staff, patients visitors to participate in
  physical activity.
• Each site in turn either develops a new walkway
  route or revamps an old one within the grounds of
  a Health Service Executive South facility.
• On this particular workplace site a Walkway to
  Health existed that consisted of a marked looped
  walkway of 450 metres and this was included in
  the challenge.

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Aim

• Overall aim To increase staff physical activity
  levels while at work and at home.
• Further aims
• 1) Increase individuals physical activity
  awareness
• 2) Increase the overall physical activity
  levels in the
• workplace
• 3) Create awareness of the health benefits of
  walking

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The Challenge!
The challenge takes place over a 4-week period
Over the four weeks individuals measure the
number of steps they walk daily using a
stepometer and aim for different targets each
week. Target at end of challenge
10,000steps Each week also aim to incorporate
the Walkway to Health a number of times per week
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The Challenge!
Week 1 Normal Routine Week 2 Highest step
count from week 1 daily target Walkway to
Health x 3 Week 3 Add 500 steps to highest step
count from week 1 Walkway to Health x 5 Week
4 Increase steps to achieve 10,000 at end of
week Walkway to Health x 10
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Implementing the Challenge
The Health Promotion committee - representatives
from all areas of the workplace. Posters were
placed in all areas - start date. Committee
members contact details on poster Names and
deposits taken
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Challenge Card Contents

• Guide to using a stepometer
• Dos Donts
• Tip for increasing number of steps
• Current recommendations
• Challenge instructions
• Benefits of walking
• Safety advice
• 2 tables

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Concluding the Challenge
Cut-off date - 2 weeks after the end of the
challenge Poster was displayed in all areas to
highlight the finishing date and it asked
participants to return their challenge cards to
their department representative. Returned
completed challenge cards were entered into a
prize draw. Prize draw - 3 weeks after the end
of the challenge. Winner - advertised in the
workplace newsletter.

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Evaluating the Challenge
Evaluation forms were devised One page - 9
questions in total Sent to all participants
involved Even those participants that did not
complete the challenge or return their challenge
cards.

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Results
In total 65 staff members signed up for the
challenge. Only 14 participants to return
their evaluations. 12 of these participants
felt that the challenge encouraged them to be
more physically active while at work. Reasons
for not increasing their physical activity at
work were I was already fairly active Not
hugely at work but did make me more aware of
daily exercise Time
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Results (contd)
Reasons for not completing the challenge
included Acute phase of arthritic
pains Did part of the challenge- didnt
complete it due to close uncles death I went
on holiday to Tunisia one week but that didnt
affect my physical fitness I was on sick leave
and unable to do the walkway however I did
complete the walking challenge daily at
home All but 1 participant said they would take
part in the challenge again.
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Future Recommendations

• Weekly progress checks
• Weekly motivational posters Keep It Up!
• or
• You Can Do It!
• Achieve the highest target on week 1 three times
  during
• week 2 and the highest of week 2, four times
  during week 3.

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Any Questions???
Thank-You!