Primary care worksite weight management program: Are primary care employees achieving 10,000 steps a day?
ISSN: 0034-6659
Article publication date: 16 October 2018
Issue publication date: 8 February 2019
Abstract
Purpose
Recent public health initiatives have promoted accumulating 10,000 steps per day. Little previous research has evaluated the using pedometer in sustaining the physical activity level during worksite intervention. Hence, this study aims to the step changes of pedometer in a multicomponent worksite intervention.
Design/methodology/approach
This trial enrolled 43 participants recruited from brochures at outpatient clinic. Throughout the 12-week multidisciplinary lifestyle program, participant required to wear a pedometer and reported daily step count at baseline, 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th and 12th week. The primary outcome measure was the step goal over the 12th week of intervention.
Findings
All subjects regardless men and women prior enter into the intervention recorded less than 5,000 of average steps count per day which is sedentary. At the 12th week of intervention, there were only 9.3 per cent subjects are sedentary. Majority of subjects (55.8 per cent) had achieved at least somewhat active, followed by low active (23.3 per cent). There were only 11.6 per cent subjects are classified as highly active at the end of the intervention. The result indicated the changes of average steps per day from baseline to 2nd (p < 0.01), 4th (p < 0.01), 6th (p < 0.01), 8th (p < 0.01), 10th (p < 0.01) and 12th (p < 0.01) week were significant. Likewise, the changes of average steps per day from previous time were significant at 4th (p < 0.01) week and 10th (p < 0.001) week.
Research limitations/implications
This study did not associate the improvement health parameter and step counter as the core stone of this study intervention were extensive individual dietary regime and reinforcement of ZUMBA participation among participants through motivational interviewing counseling. Third, there was no control group in this study, where no pedometer and goal setting were provided to the control group in the previous reported effectiveness study (Jian Pei et al., 2017).
Originality/value
The step goal during a multicomponent worksite intervention in primary health-care setting has not been clearly defined. Besides, there are no clear data of generally daily step among primary health-care employees.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Funding: This study was supported by a grant from the Ministry of Health, Malaysia (grant number: NMRR-14-724-21423). The authors would like to express their gratitude to the Ministry for this financial support. The principal investigator and researchers involved in the design of the study, collection and analysis of the study are employees of the Ministry of Health Malaysia. The opinions, results and conclusions reported in this paper are those of the authors and are independent from the funding source.
Competing interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
Authors’ contributions: Kong Jian Pei participated in the planning and execution of the study, data analysis and interpretation, wrote and edited the manuscript. Dr Linda assisted the study intervention. Dr Azlee and Dr Rawa have reviewed and provided second opinion to the manuscript. All authors read an approved the final manuscript.
Citation
Kong, J.P., Bau, R.A., Jok, L. and Ayub, A.B. (2019), "Primary care worksite weight management program: Are primary care employees achieving 10,000 steps a day?", Nutrition & Food Science, Vol. 49 No. 1, pp. 85-98. https://doi.org/10.1108/NFS-05-2018-0124
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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