Habit-based workplace physical activity intervention: a pilot study

Abstract

Background: Increasing workplace physical activity has important implications for workers' health and well-being. However, few interventions targeting physical activity in the workplace are grounded in behavioural theory.

Aims: The aim of this study was to develop and pilot a 6-week habit-based intervention designed to promote the development of workplace physical activity habits and increase average weekly step counts. Changes in the strength of workplace physical activity habit and weekly step counts were assessed at 1 and 6 weeks following the intervention.

Methods: The study was a prospective three-wave within-subjects single-arm intervention study that ran for 12 weeks (baseline, 7 weeks, 12 weeks). During the 6-week intervention, participants received information regarding 10 top tips (10TT) to increase and promote habit formation and wore a pedometer during work hours. Differences in workplace physical activity habit and weekly step counts were compared across baseline (T1), 1 (T2) and 6 weeks (T3) post-intervention using repeated measures analyses of variance.

Results: Data from 20 sedentary office workers at a large Australian University were included. The average strength of workplace physical activity habits significantly increased from baseline (M = 3.90) to 1 week post-intervention (M = 4.45), and these effects were maintained 6 weeks later (M = 4.72). No significant increase in step counts were observed across any of the time points (all P > 0.05).

Conclusions: The results of this pilot study reveal that workplace physical activity habits can be strengthened via a habit-based intervention. Further research is needed to replicate these findings in larger cohorts of office workers.

Keywords: Behaviour change; habit; intervention; occupational health; physical activity.