TY - JOUR
T1 - "ASUKI Step" pedometer intervention in university staff
T2 - Rationale and design
AU - Ainsworth, Barbara
AU - Der Ananian, Cheryl
AU - Soroush, Ali
AU - Walker, Jenelle
AU - Swan, Pamela
AU - Poortvliet, Eric
AU - Yngve, Agneta
N1 - Funding Information:
“ASUKI Step” was funded by the Karolinska Institutet and New Lifestyles Pedometers Inc and provided in-kind support from Select Wellness, Arizona State University College of Nursing and Health Innovation, and staff from the Karolinska Institutet Health Promotion Unit. We thank the leadership at Karolinska Institutet and Arizona State University for their kind support, data collectors and volunteers from the Karolinska Institutet and Arizona State University for their help with the study.
PY - 2012
Y1 - 2012
N2 - Background: We describe the study design and methods used in a 9-month pedometer-based worksite intervention called ASUKI Step conducted at the Karolinska Institutet (KI) in Stockholm, Sweden and Arizona State University (ASU) in the greater Phoenix area, Arizona. Methods/design. ASUKI Step was based on the theory of social support and a quasi-experimental design was used for evaluation. Participants included 2,118 faculty, staff, and graduate students from ASU (n=712) and KI (n=1,406) who participated in teams of 3-4 persons. The intervention required participants to accumulate 10,000 steps each day for six months, with a 3-month follow-up period. Steps were recorded onto a study-specific website. Participants completed a website-delivered questionnaire four times to identify socio-demographic, health, psychosocial and environmental correlates of study participation. One person from each team at each university location was randomly selected to complete physical fitness testing to determine their anthropometric and cardiovascular health and to wear an accelerometer for one week. Study aims were: 1) to have a minimum of 400 employee participants from each university site reach a level of 10, 000 steps per day on at least 100days (3.5months) during the trial period; 2) to have 70% of the employee participants from each university site maintain two or fewer inactive days per week, defined as a level of less than 3,000 steps per day; 3) to describe the socio-demographic, psychosocial, environmental and health-related determinants of success in the intervention; and 4) to evaluate the effects of a pedometer-based walking intervention in a university setting on changes in self-perceived health and stress level, sleep patterns, anthropometric measures and fitness. Incentives were given for compliance to the study protocol that included weekly raffles for participation prizes and a grand finale trip to Arizona or Sweden for teams with most days over 10,000 steps. Discussion. ASUKI Step is designed to increase the number of days employees walk 10,000 steps and to reduce the number of days employees spend being inactive. The study also evaluates the intra- and interpersonal determinants for success in the intervention and in a sub-sample of the study, changes in physical fitness and body composition during the study. Trial registration. Current Controlled Trials NCT01537939.
AB - Background: We describe the study design and methods used in a 9-month pedometer-based worksite intervention called ASUKI Step conducted at the Karolinska Institutet (KI) in Stockholm, Sweden and Arizona State University (ASU) in the greater Phoenix area, Arizona. Methods/design. ASUKI Step was based on the theory of social support and a quasi-experimental design was used for evaluation. Participants included 2,118 faculty, staff, and graduate students from ASU (n=712) and KI (n=1,406) who participated in teams of 3-4 persons. The intervention required participants to accumulate 10,000 steps each day for six months, with a 3-month follow-up period. Steps were recorded onto a study-specific website. Participants completed a website-delivered questionnaire four times to identify socio-demographic, health, psychosocial and environmental correlates of study participation. One person from each team at each university location was randomly selected to complete physical fitness testing to determine their anthropometric and cardiovascular health and to wear an accelerometer for one week. Study aims were: 1) to have a minimum of 400 employee participants from each university site reach a level of 10, 000 steps per day on at least 100days (3.5months) during the trial period; 2) to have 70% of the employee participants from each university site maintain two or fewer inactive days per week, defined as a level of less than 3,000 steps per day; 3) to describe the socio-demographic, psychosocial, environmental and health-related determinants of success in the intervention; and 4) to evaluate the effects of a pedometer-based walking intervention in a university setting on changes in self-perceived health and stress level, sleep patterns, anthropometric measures and fitness. Incentives were given for compliance to the study protocol that included weekly raffles for participation prizes and a grand finale trip to Arizona or Sweden for teams with most days over 10,000 steps. Discussion. ASUKI Step is designed to increase the number of days employees walk 10,000 steps and to reduce the number of days employees spend being inactive. The study also evaluates the intra- and interpersonal determinants for success in the intervention and in a sub-sample of the study, changes in physical fitness and body composition during the study. Trial registration. Current Controlled Trials NCT01537939.
KW - Exercise
KW - Physical activity
KW - Physical fitness
KW - Worksite health promotion
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U2 - 10.1186/1471-2458-12-657
DO - 10.1186/1471-2458-12-657
M3 - Article
C2 - 22894138
AN - SCOPUS:84864928329
SN - 1471-2458
VL - 12
JO - BMC public health
JF - BMC public health
IS - 1
M1 - 657
ER -