Participation in Physical Activity in Ireland: Issues and Insight

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Physical Readiness
Methods of assessing habitual physical activity
Subjective Instruments Recall Questionnaire Recall
Interview Proxy-report Activity
Diary Observations Dietary Intake
Objective Instruments Motion Sensors Pedometers Ac
celerometers Indirect calorimetry Doubly labelled
water Heart Rate Monitoring
Combining Methods?
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Traditional approach

• Individuals sign up for a programme
• Attend orientation session
• Risk assessment (PA, health)
• Education period
• Rules, regulations and equipment
• Fitness test
• Register participants in organisations programme
• Meet a trained facilitator for a one-to-one
  session

One size fits all
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• Physical readiness is not likely to be the main
  barrier to activity for most of your clients
  rather it is their psychological readiness for
  change

(Marcus and Forsyth, 2003, Motivating People to
be Physically Active, p109)
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What of adults are in each stage?
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11
10
33
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• People have differentreadiness to changethey
  require sequential interventionsthat reflect the
  natural cycles of behaviour change

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The spiral of self change showing five key stages
Maintenance
Regularly Active
Action
Preparation
Not Regularly Active
Contemplation
Precontemplation
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The Challenge

• Develop
• Will and Can

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Will Power
Read and think about physical activity
Understand that being inactive is unhealthy
Recognise that their inactivity affects their
family, friends, co-workers.
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Will Power
Understand the personal benefits of being active
Increase awareness of the opportunities to be
active in local environment
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Skill Power
Every little helps, even when youre tired,
stressed or unlikely to want to be physically
active.
Avoid going it alone, find a family member,
friend, co-worker who will support your activity.

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Skill Power
Reward yourself recognise your improvements and
praise your efforts.
Commit to be active, have a plan, choose exercise
that fits in with your lifestyle.
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Skill Power
Teach yourself how to set up reminders to be
active, e.g. comfortable shoes by the door ready
to be used at any time.
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What does this look like in the workplace?
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1) Establish Workplace SOC

• By phone (not mail or media)
• Immediately send on stage based material to
  engage employees
• Ensure modest goals to avoid loss of interest
• Registration for a talk/seminar add in two
  initial questions (SOC)
• Offer a prize draw and get required stage
  information.

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2) Recruitment

• Reactive
• Proactive

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Stage-Based Approach
PC C P A M
Awareness Awareness Staying
Motivated Why How avoiding barriers
Individual
Group
Peer Group Support/ Team Based Activities
Peer Group Support/ Recognition
Organisational
Endorsement/Sponsorship/Leadership/Policies/
Environmental Supports
Supportive Policies/ Facilities / Equipment/
Resources/ Leadership participation /
Environmental Supports
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Examples of Stage-Based Programmes
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Preparation

• Special Event Climb Mountain
• 29,028 feet (Everest)
• One floor 13 feet
• Aim Climb 130 feet per day (10 floors) for 5
  weeks
• Teams

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Examples of Stage-Based Programmes
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In summary

• Stages 1-3
• Messages
• Barriers assessment workshop e.g. IDEA
  (individual or group)

• Stages 3-5
• Events
• Action-oriented programmes e.g. walk-a-thon,
  cycle to X, exercise class.

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In summary

• Undertaking regular moderate-intensity PA reduces
  the risk of chronic ill health and leads to
  physical and psychological health benefits in all
  age groups.

Thank you to all the HeartSmart participants
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• Walking is one of the first things an infant
  wants to do, and one of the last things any of us
  wants to give up

Thank you Questions?
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Stages 1 and 2

• most want to reach
• lack of motivational readiness the toughest.
• Raise awareness of PA
• Normalise
• Anyone can be active.

Not Ready to Be Active?
(Marcus Forsyth, 2003, p167)
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Stage 1 Not thinking about change

• How to promote PA awareness
• Health fair, Informational display, incentives to
  employees to read material.
• What information might get your employees to
  consider PA?
• Common misconceptions exploded
• Recommended levels
• Give list of activities and their relative
  benefits.
• Make PA personally relevant
• Barriers assessment
• Health fair with free health check.
• Workshop on related topics e.g. stress reduction,
  weight management. Include PA.
• Special Events?
• Employee derived Top 10 excuses
• Offer support, guidance or suggestions on how to
  overcome legitimate excuses.

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Stage 2 thinking about change

• Ways to promote PA awareness
• January and New Year.
• What information might get your employees to
  consider PA?
• Common misconceptions exploded
• Recommended levels
• Give list of activities and their benefits.
• Workshop on planning for PA
• Barriers assessment
• Strategies to prompt these individuals to try PA.
• Employees set a start date and complete a
  10-minute PA goal. Follow up is NB
• Walk to lunch _at_ least 10 minutes
• Cues on lifts to use the stairs
• Swap a coffee break for a walking break
• Special Events?
• Distance signs to areas of local interest (10
  minutes plus)
• Buddy system, walk a route in pairs.

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Stage 3 Doing some PA

• Possible channels to use
• Lunch-time workshop on making time for PA.
• Email tip of the day
• Energy expenditure charts around work-based PA.
• Strategies to prompt these individuals to
  increase PA.
• Encourage them to keep track of how much activity
  they are doing each week. (Points system?)
• Cues on lifts to use the stairs, replace
  sedentary minutes with PA e.g. 2 minute walk
  every hour.
• Set realistic exercise goals
• Provide a safe, non-judgemental environment to
  try out new activities
• Special Events?
• Conquering Mount Everest
• 29,028 feet, One floor -13 feet.
• Aim to climb 130 feet per day (10 floors) X5 per
  week.
• Teams

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Stages 4 and 5 Action and Maintenance

• Activity programme e.g. fun run, fitness
  assessments
• PA is different, can be a routine activity, give
  praise for efforts.
• Educational newsletter on benefits, coping,
  training...
• Why? Prevent boredom, Prevent relapse

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Stage 4 Doing Enough PA

• Possible channels to use
• Lunch-time workshop on preventing boredom with PA
• Email tip of the day, provide feedback on
  questions.
• Appropriate print materials
• Strategies to help these individuals to keep up
  their PA.
• Skill development in alternative activities e.g.
  kick boxing
• Employee coping and planning
• Sponsor an event that involves family/friends
• Negotiate deals for employees to use local
  facilities
• Special Events?
• Support groups, establish initial meeting time,
  date and place.
• Invite an expert to provide advice
• Identify a potential group leader to assist in
  communication and logistics.
• Attend an occasional meeting

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3 Levels

• Awareness
• Health Management
• Supportive Environment

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Stage 5 Making PA a habit

• Strategies might help these individuals to
  prevent set-backs in their PA.
• Appropriate print materials for people who have
  been active for at least 6 months
• Skill development in alternative activities e.g.
  kick boxing
• Sponsor an event that involves family/friends
• Teach skills in alternative activities to prevent
  boredom
• Give a workshop on injury prevention or training
  techniques
• Special Events?
• Invite an expert to provide advice on improving
  the quality of your training