OBJECTIVES: To determine the effectiveness of visual cues/prompts to promote On-the-job physical activities. DESIGN: Cross-over experimental design, using On-the-Job Physical Activity Questionnaire. SETTING: A four-storey building of a government corporation. PATIENTS: Responses of 289 randomly selected government employees who hold office in the fourth floor were deemed evaluable out of 561 (52 percent, response rate). INTERVENTIONS: The control and experimental groups baseline on-the-job physical activity were measured and compared to their post-intervention physical activity. For Phase 1, after a one-week waiting period, a "walk" sign and a "stair" sign visual prompt were placed in the corridors and elevator entrances of the employees in their building for two weeks for the intervention group whereas the control had none. A one-week wash-out period was made. Then, phase 2 commenced with the visual prompts now placed in the building of the previous control group, and the previous experimental group now had no prompts (the cross-over). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Comparison of the baseline physical activity with the post-interventional activity using the Chi-square goodness of Fit Test. RESULTS: The post-intervention group showed improved walking and use of stairs in their time on-the-job spent. CONCLUSION: Visual prompts promote the use of walking and climbing stairs among government workers in their office in a corporate setting.
WALKING, ; WORKPLACE ; EXERCISE