Abstract
Physical inactivity is a high-priority public health issue in U.S. worksites. There is evidence that physical activity (PA) goal-setting interventions can be effective. Smartphone apps have also been used to deliver accessible and appealing PA interventions. This article describes the use of goal setting and a no-cost PA smartphone app to pilot an 8-week PA intervention, Project Move 2.0, to increase PA among a nonprofit health and social assistance workforce. The community-based partnership identified intervention strategies that addressed moderators for setting PA goals: feedback, goal commitment, situational factors, and ability. The intervention included the use of a no-cost smartphone app for tracking steps/goal setting, an orientation/health education session, weekly text messages, as well as pre- and post-measures for goal setting for PA behaviors and an intervention evaluation questionnaire. There is limited knowledge on the practical aspects of applying goal setting and the use of a no-cost smartphone app to increase employee PA through a workplace PA intervention. Applying goal setting and the use of a no-cost smartphone app shows promise for workplace health promoters to successfully address employee PA.
Keywords
Background
Physical inactivity is a high-priority public health issue. The Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP, n.d.) set a goal to increase the proportion of worksites that offer a physical activity (PA) program as part of an employee health-promotion program. There is evidence that PA interventions which include goal setting and the use of a smartphone app can deliver effective, accessible, and appealing PA interventions (McEwan et al., 2016; Romeo et al., 2019). This work addresses a gap in literature by describing the practical aspects and impacts of goal setting and the use of a no-cost smartphone app to increase employee PA through a workplace PA intervention.
Intervention Description and Strategies
Project Move 2.0 was piloted over 8 weeks, promoting PA using goal setting and a no-cost smartphone app to increase daily steps in a nonprofit health care and social assistance workforce. The community-based participatory research partners collaborated on the strategies which would address employees’ moderators for reaching PA goals and the selection of the no-cost smartphone app (Locke & Latham, 2019). Moderators and strategies are outlined in Table 1. Participants carried their smartphones throughout the day. Participants were randomly assigned to either a goal-setting group (GSG) or non–goal-setting group (NGSG) as the organization was interested in effectiveness of the goal-setting app feature and its potential usefulness in future worksite PA challenges.
Moderators and Strategies for Employee PA Intervention
Intervention Impact/Outcomes
Twenty-six participants completed the pilot intervention, 22 women (84%) and 4 men (16%). All participants set an 8-week daily step goal. Participants daily steps were tracked through the app’s “friends” feature and only shared with researchers. Goal-setting behaviors for PA were measured pre- and post-intervention using the Exercise Goal Setting Scale (EGS) (Rovniak et al., 2002). Postintervention participants also completed an 18-item intervention evaluation questionnaire using a 5-point scale, ranging from 1 (does not describe) to 5 (describes completely).
Since male participation was low, data from only female participants (n = 22) were analyzed which included the GSG (n = 9) and the NGSG (n = 13). There were no significant differences in pre- to post-intervention scores between groups. However, female participants’ average daily steps increased from baseline to Week 8 from M = 5850.3 (SD = ±3117.8) to M = 6352.0 (SD = ±3440.20). Six women (27%) met their 8-week daily step goal: four from the NGSG and two from the GSG. Goal-setting behaviors for PA increased from M = 19.04 (SD = ±7.9) at baseline to M = 22.27 (SD = ±9.2). The NGSG participants indicated that the statement “the weekly text message reminder to increase daily steps helped me to reach my physical activity goal” “describes moderately” their experience (M = 3.8). While GSG participants indicated that the statement “the goal-setting feature of the smartphone app helped me reach my physical activity goals” “describes moderately” their experience (M = 3.6). Most respondents (90%) indicated that strategies supporting ability and situational factors helped them reach their PA goals (M = 4.6). Participants suggested adding group challenges, scheduled daily walking breaks, and using daily text message reminders to increase PA, which could be additional strategies to enhance goal commitment and feedback moderators.
Implications for Practice
Findings suggest that the use of strategies supporting moderators for PA can assist in the effective implementation of employee PA interventions. Situational factors and increasing employees’ ability (knowledge and skills) are important for success in achieving PA goals. The use of a no-cost smartphone app may support employees goal-setting behaviors and PA goals. Applying goal setting and the use of a no-cost smartphone app shows promise for workplace health promoters to successfully address employee physical inactivity.
Footnotes
Authors’ Note:
The authors whose names are listed above certify that they have no affiliations with or involvement in any organization or entity with any financial interest (such as honoraria; educational grants; participation in speakers’ bureaus; membership, employment, consultancies, stock ownership, or other equity interest; and expert testimony or patent-licensing arrangements), or non-financial interest (such as personal or professional relationships, affiliations, knowledge or beliefs) in the subject matter or materials discussed in this manuscript.
