Effects of A Worksite Wellness Activity Program on Changing Exercise Behavior

Abstract

Employees at a large university on the MidAtlantic coast participated in a worksite wellness center's eight week program to promote thirty minutes of activity each day. Out of 350 employees, 150 were randomly selected for the study. A total of 108 volunteered to participate. Prior to initiation of the program, participants were asked about their usual exercise behavior type and duration. Participants were then evaluated for their activity during the program and at six weeks after completion of the program. The data was evaluated by t-test and one-way anova to find means and significance level between the three different activity times and frequencies. Marked differences were found for all variables significant at p < 0.05. Mean duration of activity was found to be greater at six weeks after completion of the program compared to before the program started. Average number of days the participants were active was greater before the program started as opposed to six weeks after completion of the program. Number of days active was greater during the program than before the participants started. It was also greater during the program than six weeks after it had ended. In all cases there was great variability between individual subjects. The program helped participants become active for longer but not more frequently. The employees needed the structure and incentive of the activity program to remain most active. Evaluation of the stage of change of participants would better help determine the kind and type of structure needed to keep participants active. Worksite wellness centers may benefit from structuring their programs more specifically around the needs of the participants, as well as providing a structure and support for the participants after the program ends to encourage maintenance of exercise activity.