The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #44157

Rick Petosa, Phd¹, Rick Suminski, Phd¹, and Melinda Everman, MS². (1) Health promotion and Physical Activity Behavior, The Ohio State University, 250 Larkins Hall, College of Education, columbus, OH 43210, (2) Health promotion and education, Ohio State University, 343 Larkins Hall, columbus, OH 43210, 614 487 1732, petosa.1@osu.edu

Presenter: R. Petosa, R. Suminski and M. Everman

A Review of Impact of Physical Activity Interventions at the Worksite

Over the past twenty years a considerable body of literature has developed on the use of worksite interventions to promote physical activity. It is reasonable to presume that progress has been made in the use of behavioral theories and methods to track behavioral impact. The purpose was to examine the behavioral impact of worksite physical activity interventions. A second purpose was to examine trends in evaluation methods including use of theory and measurement. Criteria for inclusion in review included: (1) evaluation of behavioral impact of worksite intervention to promote physical activity, (2) exercise behavior was the dependent variable, and (3). published in a peer-reviewed journal. The results reveal that only a small percentage of total published articles track physical activity impact. For these studies, adherence is measured by attendance or self-report. Short-term impact of these programs varies widely. Incentive based and Behavioral programs produce superior results when compared to facilities-based efforts. Only two studies document a process for evaluating impact of theoretical constructs. Modest progress has been made in establishing consistent methods for designing or evaluating worksite physical activity programs. Process evaluation methods are not being used to document learning, skill acquisition or changes in theoretical constructs. Most evaluations continue to focus on fitness measures to the exclusion of tracking exercise behavior. Within these limitations a few promising approaches warrant further study.

Learning Objectives:

• Participants will learn about effective strategies for promoting physical activity at the worksite.
• Participants will be able to identify three weaknesses in the evalation of worksite physical activity interventions.

Keywords: Worksite, Physical Activity

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.