|
What does the Research says about Stairway interventions to increase Physical Activity and Health?
Nine Published studies are identified below.
Description of Existing Published Studies
Brownell, Stunkard and Albaum, (1980)
The earliest study had two components: the first dealing with the effects of a sign at a stair-escalator choice point and the second with the long-term maintenance of change. In the first part, over 21,000 observations were made in a shopping mall, train station and bus terminal in Philadelphia, PA. The stairwells had 30 steps at the shopping mall, 18 at the train station and 24 at the bus terminal. The sign encouraging stair use had cartoon pictures of an unhealthy and a healthy heart with captions "Your heart needs exercise" and "Here's Your Chance." The sex, race (black/white), age (over 30/ under 30) and weight (obese/ non-obese) of each subject were recorded based on observer judgement. An ABAB design was followed: a baseline phase followed by intervention phase with the sequence repeated twice. As in all succeeding studies, subjects who were carrying heavy or bulky items, or who appeared to be disabled, were not included in the analysis.
The sign increased the percentage of subjects using the stairs which more than doubled from an average of 6% to 14%. Of the three settings, the mall had the highest proportion of users. At baseline, obese people, women, and older subjects were less likely to use the stairs. The intervention was equally effective in increasing stair use for obese and non-obese, male and female, and older and younger subjects.
The second study investigated the effects of repeated exposure to the sign and the long-term maintenance of change. Over 24,000 observations of rail commuters at a downtown station were made using an ABA design - a baseline period of 5 days, sign use for 15 days, withdrawal of the intervention for 10 days, and follow-up observation periods at one month and three months. Highest stair use occurred when the sign was in place, with effects persisting at one month. By three months the percentage using the stairs returned to baseline levels. The overall percentage using the stairs was 11.6% during baseline, 18.3% during the intervention, 15.6% at one month post-intervention, and 11.9% at 3 months.
|