Approximately 67% of American adults are overweight (BMI greater than or equal to 25) or obese (BMI greater than or equal to 30) and nearly 80% of American adults do not meet the minimum physical activity recommendations (150 minutes of moderate physical activity per week). The increased prevalence of sedentary behavior at work and the advanced technological environments of worksites are large contributors to human inactivity and possibly obesity. Therefore, workplaces are common settings for health behavior change interventions because they benefit researchers, employers and employees alike.
Previous research has focused on increasing walking while at work because it is a free and accessible form of physical activity. Many studies have used the theoretical framework of the Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) and constructs such as goal setting, self-efficacy and exercise motives in order to facilitate behavior change. By gradually walking more over time, employees have the potential to experience lasting health benefits (i.e. decreased blood pressure, BMI, blood glucose, total cholesterol and increased functional capacity).
The purpose of this study was to build on previous research and examine the relationship between SCT variables and physical activity. A total of 49 participants were recruited from Battelle Memorial Institute to complete an online survey before beginning a six-week walking program. Ten participants also completed the survey at the end of the program. Pearson product moment correlation coefficients were run in order to assess whether or not relationships existed between the SCT variables and weekly step counts and between weekly step counts and weekly energy expenditure at pretest and posttest. Paired samples t-tests were run to assess whether or not the physical activity variables changed from pretest to posttest.
Significant correlations were found between weekly step count and the exercise motives of revitalisation, enjoyment and positive health at pretest. Additionally, a significant correlation was found between weekly step count and weekly energy expenditure at pretest. At posttest, a significant correlation was found between weekly step count and the exercise motive of ill-health avoidance. No significant correlations were found between weekly step count and weekly energy expenditure at posttest, and no significant changes were seen in the physical activity variables over the course of the six-week walking program.
Although not significant, a relationship emerged between the exercise motive of stress management and weekly step count. Given that participants in the present study were motivated to engage in physical activity by the need to manage worksite stress, future research should set out to examine this relationship in further detail. By understanding the association between work-related stress and physical activity, future interventions could be planned in order to address both issues (decrease stress and increase physical activity). If interventions are able to successfully modify both stress management and physical activity, there will be benefits to employers and employees alike.