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Environmental Modifications and 2-Year Measured and Self-reported Stair-Use: A Worksite Randomized Trial

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Abstract

Environmental modifications have been shown to increase short-term stair use, longer-term success is unclear. This study assessed the 2-year effectiveness of an environmental intervention promoting worksite stair use. We assessed stair use at work by means of self-reports and infrared beam counters (which send a safe and invisible beam of infrared light from one side of a stairwell to a reflector on the other side; when an individual uses the stairs, the infrared beam is disrupted and an instance of stair use is recorded) at six worksites (three intervention, three control) in a group randomized, controlled worksite weight-gain prevention trial in Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN. Intervention modifications were signs encouraging stair use, music, and art posters in stairwells. We collected data before environmental modifications (2006–2007) and at the end of the 2-year intervention (2008–2009). The intervention had a significant positive effect on stair use measured both objectively and via self-report, with greatest increases reported among those participants who used the stairs least at baseline. Following 2-years of continuously-maintained stairwell modifications, increases in both objectively-measured and self-reported stair use were significantly larger at intervention than control worksites. Study findings suggest that the positive impact of environmental modifications on stair use persist over a longer time period than has been previously demonstrated. Results also indicate that infrequent stair users may be most amenable to the behavior changes encouraged by these environmental enhancements.

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Acknowledgments

This study was funded by National Institutes of Health Grant 1 R01 DK067362 (R. W. Jeffery, PI); ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00708461, “Environmental Intervention for Weight Gain Prevention (HealthWorks).”

Conflict of interest

The authors have no conflict of interest to disclose.

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Author notes

  1. Dan J. Graham

    Present address: Department of Psychology, Colorado State University, 410 Pitkin St., Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA

    Dan J. Graham, Jennifer A. Linde & Robert W. Jeffery

  2. School of Kinesiology, College of Education and Human Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA

    Julie M. Cousins

Authors
  1. Dan J. Graham
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  2. Jennifer A. Linde
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  3. Julie M. Cousins
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  4. Robert W. Jeffery
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Correspondence to Dan J. Graham.

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Graham, D.J., Linde, J.A., Cousins, J.M. et al. Environmental Modifications and 2-Year Measured and Self-reported Stair-Use: A Worksite Randomized Trial. J Primary Prevent 34, 413–422 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10935-013-0323-2

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