Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress 2023 EHA Congress 2023 ASCO Annual Meeting
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

At a glance: The ONWARDS insulin icodec trials

A round-up of the ONWARDS phase 3 clinical trials evaluating the novel weekly insulin icodec in people with diabetes.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
BMC Public Health
Published in: BMC Public Health 1/2017

Open Access 01-12-2017 | Research article

Promoting physical activity in worksite settings: results of a German pilot study of the online intervention Healingo fit

Authors: Kevin Dadaczynski, Stephan Schiemann, Olaf Backhaus

Published in: BMC Public Health | Issue 1/2017

Login to get access

Abstract

Background

Worldwide, one third of the adult population is insufficiently physically active. This fact has led to a strong demand for public health initiatives. Given the mixed evidence on the effectiveness of worksite interventions promoting physical activity (PA), a pedometer-based and gamified intervention, Healingo Fit, was developed and evaluated over a period of six weeks.

Methods

The effectiveness of Healingo Fit was evaluated as part of a randomized controlled trial (RCT) with two measurement points involving employees of an automobile manufacturer. Direct health promotion outcomes were assessed using self-developed items on PA knowledge, the HAPA brief scales and the exercise self-efficacy scale. IPAQ short version was used to assess different forms of PA behavior. Intervention effects were identified using a two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) with repeated measurements.

Results

A total of 144 participants took part in the study (intervention group = 80, control group = 64). The results of the ANOVA show significant interaction effects (group x time) for health promotion outcomes (knowledge, intention, and self-efficacy), with medium to high effect sizes. In the health behavior related outcomes, there were significant improvements, with large effect sizes for low levels of PA, but not for moderate and high PA. Walking time increased by 125 min/week in the intervention group, corresponding to a percentage increase of 30% compared to baseline.

Conclusions

Pedometer-based interventions using gamification elements can have positive effects not only on health promotion parameters but can also lead to an increase in PA behavior. The online format of Healingo Fit is suitable for reaching large numbers of people and achieving population effects.

Trial registration

German Clinical Trials Register (DRKS): DRKS00006105, date of registration: 2017–03-24.
Appendix
Available only for authorised users
Literature
1.
Ignarro LJ, Balestrieri ML, Napoli C. Nutrition, physical activity, and cardiovascular disease: an update. Cardiovasc Res. 2007;73:326–40.CrossRefPubMed
2.
Stewart BWKP, Wild CP, editors. World cancer report 2014. World Health Organization. Lyon. Geneva: International Agency for Research on Cancer; 2015.
3.
Humphreys BR, McLeod L, Ruseski JE. Physical activity and health outcomes: evidence from Canada. Health Econ. 2014;23:33–54.CrossRefPubMed
4.
Penedo FJ, Dahn JR. Exercise and well-being: a review of mental and physical health benefits associated with physical activity. Curr Opin Psychiatr. 2005;18:189–93.CrossRef
5.
6.
7.
Robert Koch-Institut (eds): Körperliche Aktivität. Faktenblatt zu GEDA 2012: Ergebnisse der Studie »Gesundheit in Deutschland aktuell 2012«. Berlin: RKI; 2014.
8.
Hallal PC, Andersen LB, Bull FC, Guthold R, Haskell W, Ekelund U. Global physical activity levels: surveillance progress, pitfalls, and prospects. Lancet. 380:247–57.
9.
Quintiliani L, Sattelmair J, Sorensen G. The workplace as a setting for interventions to improve diet and promote physical activity. A background paper prepared for the WHO/WEF joint event on preventing noncommunicable diseases in the workplace. In: Dalian/China: WHO; 2007.
10.
Quyen GT, Chen TTL, Magnussen CG, Kein GT. Workplace physical activity interventions: a systematic review. Am J Health Promot. 2013;27:e113–23.CrossRef
11.
Malik SH, Blake H, Suggs LS. A systematic review of worksite health promotion interventions for increasing physical activity. Brit J Health Psych. 2014;19:149–80.CrossRef
12.
Bravata DM, Smith-Spangler C, Sundaram V, et al. Using pedometers to increase physical activity and improve health. A systematic review. JAMA. 2007;19:2296–304.CrossRef
13.
Weaver JB, Mays D, Weaver SS, et al. Health-risk correlates of video-game playing among adults. Am J Prev Med. 2009;37:299–305.CrossRefPubMed
14.
Wilmot EG, Edwardson CL, Achana FA, et al. Sedentary time in adults and the association with diabetes, cardiovascular disease and death: systematic review and meta-analysis. Diabetologia. 2012;55:2895–905.CrossRefPubMed
15.
Schiemann S, Dadaczynski K, Paulus P. Bildschirmzeiten zur Steigerung der körperlichen Aktivität? Digitale Spieleanwendungen im Bereich körperliche Aktivität und ihre Wirkungen. In: Dadaczynski K, Schiemann S, Paulus P, editors. Gesundheit spielend fördern. Potenziale und Herausforderungen von digitalen Spieleanwendungen für die Gesundheitsförderung und Prävention. Beltz Juventa: Weinheim; 2016. p. 282–306.
16.
Sween J, Wallington SF, Sheppard V, Taylor T, Llanos AA, Adams-Campbell LL. The role of exergaming in improving physical activity: a review. J Phys Act Health. 2014;11:864–70.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
17.
Bandura A. Sozial-kognitive Lerntheorie. Stuttgart: Klett-Cotta; 1979.
18.
Ajzen I. The theory of planned behavior. Organ Behav Hum Decis Process. 1991;50:179–211.CrossRef
19.
Schwarzer R, Luszczynska A. How to overcome health-compromising behaviors: the health action process approach. Eur Psychol. 2008;13:141–51.CrossRef
20.
21.
Deterding S, Dixon D, Khaled R, Nacke L. From game design elements to gamefulness: defining “gamification”. In: MindTrek '11 proceedings of the 15th international academic MindTrek conference: envisioning future media environments. New York: ACM; 2011. p. 9–15.CrossRef
22.
Nutbeam D. Evaluating health promotion - progress, problems and solutions. Health Promot Int. 1998;13:27–44.CrossRef
23.
24.
25.
Hallal PC, Victora CG: Reliability and validity of the international physical activity questionnaire (IPAQ). Med Sci Sports Exerc 2004, 36:556.
26.
Cohen J. Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences. 2nd ed. Hillsdale: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates; 1988.
27.
Mansi S, Milosavljevic S, Tumilty S, Hendrick P, Higgs C, Baxter DG. Investigating the effect of a 3-month worksite-based pedometer-driven walking programme on health-related quality of life in meat processing workers: a feasibility study within a randomized controlled trial. BMC Public Health. 2015;15:410.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
28.
Hamer M, Chida Y. Walking and primary prevention: a meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies. Br J Sports Med. 2008;42:238–43.CrossRefPubMed
29.
Murtagh EM, Nichols L, Mohammed MA, Holder R, Nevill AM, Murphy MH. The effect of walking on risk factors for cardiovascular disease: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Prev Med. 2015;72:34–43.CrossRefPubMed
30.
Steinmetz H, Knappstein M, Ajzen I, Schmidt P, Kabst R. How effective are behavior change interventions based on the theory of planned behavior? A three-level meta-analysis. Z Psychol. 2016;224:216–33.
31.
Webb TL, Scheeran P. Does changing behavioral intentions engender behavior change? A meta-analysis of the experimental evidence. Psychol Bull. 2006;132:249–68.CrossRefPubMed
32.
Sniehotta F, Scholz U, Schwarzer R. Bridging the intention-behaviour gap: planning, self-efficacy, and action control in the adoption and maintenance of physical exercise. Psychol Health. 2005;20:143–60.CrossRef
33.
Rhodes RE, Yaho CA. Models accounting for intention-behavior discordance in the physical activity domain: a user’s guide, content overview, and review of current evidence. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2015;12:9.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
34.
Baumann AE, Reis RS, Sallis JF, Wells JC, Loos RJF, Wartin BW. Correlates of physical activity: why are some people physically active and others not? Lancet. 2012;380:258–71.CrossRef
35.
36.
Nelson EC, Verhagen T, Noordzij ML. Health empowerment through activity trackers: an empirical smart wristband study. Comput Hum Behav. 2016;62:364–74.CrossRef
37.
Thomas L, Williams M. Promoting physical activity in the workplace: using pedometers to increase daily activity levels. Health Promotion Journal of Australia. 2006;17:97–102.PubMed
38.
Raedeke TD, Focht BC, King JS. The impact of a student-led pedometer intervention incorporating cognitive-behavioral strategies on step count and self-efficacy. Res Q Exerc Sport. 2010;81:87–96.CrossRefPubMed
39.
Gaede-Illig C, Zachariae S, Menzel C, Alfermann D. Körperliche Aktivität erfassen – ein Vergleich vom IPAQ-SF und dem SenseWear pro Armband. Deutsche Zeitschrift für Sportmedizin. 2014;65:154–9.
Metadata
Title
Promoting physical activity in worksite settings: results of a German pilot study of the online intervention Healingo fit
Authors
Kevin Dadaczynski
Stephan Schiemann
Olaf Backhaus
Publication date
01-12-2017
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Public Health / Issue 1/2017
Electronic ISSN: 1471-2458
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-017-4697-6

Other articles of this Issue 1/2017

BMC Public Health 1/2017 Go to the issue

Research article

Evaluating the effectiveness of an empowerment program for self-care in type 2 diabetes: a cluster randomized trial

Research article

The epidemiology of drowning in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review

Research article

Indoor and outdoor PM10 levels at schools located near mine dumps in Gauteng and North West Provinces, South Africa

Study protocol

The Stepping Stones and Creating Futures intervention to prevent intimate partner violence and HIV-risk behaviours in Durban, South Africa: study protocol for a cluster randomized control trial, and baseline characteristics

Research article

Assessment of fidelity in individual level behaviour change interventions promoting physical activity among adults: a systematic review

Research article

Lay health workers perceptions of an anemia control intervention in Karnataka, India: a qualitative study