Evaluating the effects and feasibility of an at work stair climbing intervention program for men

Abstract

Thirty healthy men, aged 17.5-64.0, were assigned to matched treatment and control groups an evaluated on selected anthropometric and cardio-respiratory measures before and after a twelve week at work stairclimbing intervention program. The only significant change in the treated group was a decrease of rear calf skinfold thickness. There were no significant changes within the control group, nor were differences between groups significant when taking the entire treatment group into account. When the treatment group was dichotomized according to the amount of weekly stairclimbing, the subgroup which climbed stairs the most showed significant aerobic improvements. The Baseline VO2 max was not significantly related to either pre-program stairclimbing habits or aerobic power improvements. A significant relationship was observed between baseline % body fat and pre-program stairclimbing. The correlation between pre-program and in-program stairclimbing was statistically insignificant. The experiment showed that 5500 kgm/day stairclimbing (approximately 25 flights for a 70 kg man) could result in significant improvement of maximal aerobic power.