Abstract
Purpose. To present the development and feasibility testing of a sociocultural environmental change intervention strategy aimed at integrating physical activity into workplace routine. Design. Randomized, controlled, post-test only, intervention trial. Setting. Los Angeles County Department of Health Services' worksites. Participants. Four hundred forty-nine employees, predominantly sedentary, overweight, middle-aged women of color, distributed across 26 meetings. Intervention. A single 10-min exercise break during work time involving moderate intensity, low-impact aerobic dance and calisthenic movements to music. Measures. Primary - level of participation, particularly among sedentary staff; secondary - self-perceived health status, satisfaction with current fitness level, and mood/affective state. Results. More than 90% of meeting attendees participated in the exercises. Among completely sedentary individuals, intervention participants' self-perceived health status ratings were significantly lower than controls' (OR = 0.17; 95% CI = 0.05, 0.60; P = 0.0003). Among all respondents not regularly physically active, intervention participants' levels of satisfaction with fitness were more highly correlated with self-ranked physical activity stage of change (r = 0.588) than the control participants' (r = 0.376, z = -2.32, p = 0.02). Among the completely sedentary, control participants reported significantly higher levels of energy than did intervention participants (P < 0.01). Conclusions. Captive audiences may be engaged in brief bouts of exercise as a part of the workday, regardless of physical activity level or stage of change. This experience may also appropriately erode sedentary individuals' self-perception of good health and fitness, providing motivation for adoption of more active lifestyles.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 848-856 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Preventive Medicine |
| Volume | 38 |
| Issue number | 6 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jun 2004 |
| Externally published | Yes |
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Keywords
- African Americans
- Latinos
- Lifestyle change
- Minority populations
- Obesity control
- Organizational change
- Physical activity
- Sociocultural environment
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Medicine(all)
Cite this
The Los Angeles Lift Off : A sociocultural environmental change intervention to integrate physical activity into the workplace. / Yancey, Antronette K.; McCarthy, William J.; Taylor, Wendell C.; Merlo, Angela R; Gewa, Constance; Weber, Mark D.; Fielding, Jonathan E.
In: Preventive Medicine, Vol. 38, No. 6, 06.2004, p. 848-856.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - The Los Angeles Lift Off
T2 - A sociocultural environmental change intervention to integrate physical activity into the workplace
AU - Yancey, Antronette K.
AU - McCarthy, William J.
AU - Taylor, Wendell C.
AU - Merlo, Angela R
AU - Gewa, Constance
AU - Weber, Mark D.
AU - Fielding, Jonathan E.
PY - 2004/6
Y1 - 2004/6
N2 - Purpose. To present the development and feasibility testing of a sociocultural environmental change intervention strategy aimed at integrating physical activity into workplace routine. Design. Randomized, controlled, post-test only, intervention trial. Setting. Los Angeles County Department of Health Services' worksites. Participants. Four hundred forty-nine employees, predominantly sedentary, overweight, middle-aged women of color, distributed across 26 meetings. Intervention. A single 10-min exercise break during work time involving moderate intensity, low-impact aerobic dance and calisthenic movements to music. Measures. Primary - level of participation, particularly among sedentary staff; secondary - self-perceived health status, satisfaction with current fitness level, and mood/affective state. Results. More than 90% of meeting attendees participated in the exercises. Among completely sedentary individuals, intervention participants' self-perceived health status ratings were significantly lower than controls' (OR = 0.17; 95% CI = 0.05, 0.60; P = 0.0003). Among all respondents not regularly physically active, intervention participants' levels of satisfaction with fitness were more highly correlated with self-ranked physical activity stage of change (r = 0.588) than the control participants' (r = 0.376, z = -2.32, p = 0.02). Among the completely sedentary, control participants reported significantly higher levels of energy than did intervention participants (P < 0.01). Conclusions. Captive audiences may be engaged in brief bouts of exercise as a part of the workday, regardless of physical activity level or stage of change. This experience may also appropriately erode sedentary individuals' self-perception of good health and fitness, providing motivation for adoption of more active lifestyles.
AB - Purpose. To present the development and feasibility testing of a sociocultural environmental change intervention strategy aimed at integrating physical activity into workplace routine. Design. Randomized, controlled, post-test only, intervention trial. Setting. Los Angeles County Department of Health Services' worksites. Participants. Four hundred forty-nine employees, predominantly sedentary, overweight, middle-aged women of color, distributed across 26 meetings. Intervention. A single 10-min exercise break during work time involving moderate intensity, low-impact aerobic dance and calisthenic movements to music. Measures. Primary - level of participation, particularly among sedentary staff; secondary - self-perceived health status, satisfaction with current fitness level, and mood/affective state. Results. More than 90% of meeting attendees participated in the exercises. Among completely sedentary individuals, intervention participants' self-perceived health status ratings were significantly lower than controls' (OR = 0.17; 95% CI = 0.05, 0.60; P = 0.0003). Among all respondents not regularly physically active, intervention participants' levels of satisfaction with fitness were more highly correlated with self-ranked physical activity stage of change (r = 0.588) than the control participants' (r = 0.376, z = -2.32, p = 0.02). Among the completely sedentary, control participants reported significantly higher levels of energy than did intervention participants (P < 0.01). Conclusions. Captive audiences may be engaged in brief bouts of exercise as a part of the workday, regardless of physical activity level or stage of change. This experience may also appropriately erode sedentary individuals' self-perception of good health and fitness, providing motivation for adoption of more active lifestyles.
KW - African Americans
KW - Latinos
KW - Lifestyle change
KW - Minority populations
KW - Obesity control
KW - Organizational change
KW - Physical activity
KW - Sociocultural environment
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=2942582916&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=2942582916&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.ypmed.2003.12.019
DO - 10.1016/j.ypmed.2003.12.019
M3 - Article
C2 - 15193908
AN - SCOPUS:2942582916
VL - 38
SP - 848
EP - 856
JO - Preventive Medicine
JF - Preventive Medicine
SN - 0091-7435
IS - 6
ER -