- England
A high proportion of the adult population in England do not participate in sufficient physical activity to benefit their health. The workplace setting is a setting in which there is potential to reach large numbers of adults with interventions to promote physical activity and improve health. This paper evaluates the effectiveness of Walking Works, a programme encouraging people to walk for some or all of their journey, as a strategy for promoting walking for the commute to work. Although it didn't observe any changes in walking behaviour, the following recommendations were produced:
- At least six months should be allowed to recruit workplaces
- Senior management should be engaged from the start and should raise the profile of the programme, facilitate communication, support walking champions, visibly participate in the programme and encourage employee participation
- Planning and delivery of activities should align with employees' normal daily roles
- A range of methods should be used to publicise and communicate information about activities to ensure all employees are aware of opportunities to participate
- There should be ongoing consultation with employers and employees to maintain their involvement and ensure the programme and activities still meet participant needs.
