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Table 1 Overview of Walking Works workplaces, programme activities and participation

From: Evaluation of the implementation of a whole-workplace walking programme using the RE-AIM framework

 

Workplace

Region

North East

East Midlands

Yorkshire

West Midlands

London

Type

Further education institution

Private organisation

NHS organisation

County Council

Higher education institution

Dates of baseline survey

Start: 07–12-09

End: 16–12-09

Start: 20–04-10

End: 10–05-10

Start: 19–01-10

End: 10–03-10

Start: 14–05-10

End: 25–06-10

Start: 02–02-10

End: 02–03-10

Total number of employees (baseline)

400

1734

1778

1100

500

Number of employees (%) completing baseline survey

98 (25%)

653 (38%)

285 (16%)

434 (39%)

74 (15%)

Dates of follow-up survey

Start: 12–09-11

End: 04–10-11

Start: 02–11-11

End: 28–11-11

Start: 16–09-11

End: 07–11-11

Start: 29–09-11

End: 20–10-11

Start: 05–09-11

End: 10–10-11

Total number of employees (follow-up)

400

1729

300

1100

500

Number of employees (%) completing follow-up survey

144 (36%)

587 (34%)

59 (20%)

103 (9%)

25 (5%)

Workplace recruitment to intervention

Lead organisation contacted the walking champion to discuss taking part through a local travel plan contact.

Lead organisation promoted the intervention through a travel planning network. The walking champion expressed interest in taking part.

Lead organisation contacted the walking champion to ask for suggestions for other workplaces to take part. Workplace keen to take part themselves.

Heard about Walking Works through lead organisation’s website and contacted them.

Walking champion was referred through lead organisation’s member of staff not involved in the intervention.

Reasons for participation

The programme supported work on health and staff retention agendas, in particular looking at how to get people to and from work following move to multiple sites with restricted parking.

The programme supported work on health and travel agendas. Workplace looking for ways to help people become less dependent on cars and support mileage and carbon reduction targets.

The programme supported work on health and travel agendas. Particularly looking at ways to reduce carbon footprint and promote active travel across the workplace and their partners.

The programme linked to walking champion core role in sustainable travel.

The programme supported walking champion in core role to improve environmental performance of workplace. Also compatible with health and travel agendas: reducing environmental impact, carbon footprint and increasing staff awareness of these issues.

Links to existing workplace policy, strategy and programmes

Linked to workplace’s health at work policy and the strategic direction of the workplace to employ and retain the best staff.

Strategy in place to ensure co-ordinated approach to travel planning; each site has a travel plan including a communication strategy to inform employees of alternatives to using car.

Fitted with workplace’s existing health and well-being programme.

Programme linked to sustainable travel and well-being agendas across the workplace.

Linked to workplace health policy and sustainable travel plans and aspiration of workplace to be a local leader in health and healthy transport.

Linked to the sustainable travel agenda.

Programme linked to staff travel plans and health and well-being agendas.

Activities delivered

• Walk to Work Week 2010 and 2011

• Mince Pie Calculator promotiona (Christmas 2010)

• Led lunchtime walks

• Alternatives to the car – staff conference (June 2010)

• Fit Campaign – existing initiative (including walking)

• Walk to Work Week 2011

• Mince Pie Calculator promotiona (Christmas 2010)

• Unleash Your Office Animal quiz promotionb (Summer 2010)

• Photo competitionc (Spring 2011)

• Mince Pie Calculator promotiona (Christmas 2009 and 2010)

• Lunchtime led walks

• New Year, New You staff travel days promotions (Jan-Feb 2010 and 2011)

• Best Foot Forward pedometer challenge (April–May 2010 and May–June 2011)

• Walk to Work Week 2011

• Lunchtime led walks

• Autumn pedometer challenge (October 2010)

• Winter Warmers (Winter 2010)

• Walking talk and quiz (February 2011)

• Walk to Work Week 2010 and 2011

• Lunchtime walks 2010

• Walking Works campaign launch lunch and walk

• Walking champions meeting (Spring 2010)

• Summer Social Walk 2010

• Foot pamper day (Sept 2011)

n (%) unaware of programme

20 (13.9%)

379 (64.6%)

11 (18.6%)

20 (19.4%)

8 (32.0%)

n (%) aware of programme (no participation)

62 (43.1%)

119 (20.3%)

12 (20.3%)

61 (59.2%)

5 (20.0%)

n (%) participated in programme(aware and participated in at least 1 activity)

62 (43.1%)

89 (15.2%)

36 (61.0%)

22 (21.4%)

12 (48.0%)

Frequency of participation n (%)

0 activities = 82 (56.9%)

1 activity = 28 (19.4%)

2 activities = 24 (16.7%)

3 activities = 3 (2.1%)

4 activities = 2 (1.4%)

>5 activities = 5 (3.5%)

0 activities = 498 (84.8%)

1 activity = 76 (12.9%)

2 activities = 8 (1.4%)

3 activities = 5 (0.9%)

4 activities = 0 (0.0%)

>5 activities = 0 (0.0%)

0 activities = 23 (39.0%)

1 activity = 17 (28.8%)

2 activities = 10 (16.9%)

3 activities = 4 (6.8%)

4 activities = 2 (3.4%)

>5 activities = 3 (5.1%)

0 activities = 81 (78.6%)

1 activity = 17 (16.5%)

2 activities = 3 (2.9%)

3 activities = 1 (1.0%)

4 activities = 1 (1.0%)

>5 activities = 0 (0.0%)

0 activities = 13 (52.0%)

1 activity = 3 (12.0%)

2 activities = 3 (12.0%)

3 activities = 1 (4.0%)

4 activities = 3 (12.0%)

>5 activities = 2 (8.0%)

  1. a Mince Pie Calculator promotion was a free online tool which enabled employees to turn minutes walked into calories burnt (or equivalent to the number of mince pies eaten) to promote walking during the Christmas period
  2. b Unleash Your Office Animal quiz was an online quiz which asked questions about physical activity in relation to the working day. Depending on the answers given, the individual was assigned an office animal that represented their level of activity and provided suggestions on how they could increase their activity through walking.
  3. c Photo competition: employees were asked to take a photograph on their walk to work responding to the question “what is the thing you look forward to on your way to work” and an online gallery was created. Prizes were offered in the form of vouchers.