Positive Impacts of a University Walking Program: A Case Study

Abstract

A sedentary lifestyle is a key contributor to chronic disease, and many occupations in our society are sedentary in nature. Therefore, a main focus of workplace health promotion programs is to increase employee physical activity. In addition, workplaces are an ideal arena to deliver health programming, however many organizations face barriers to implementation, such as staffing, budget and time constraints. The purpose of this case study is to present a real world, cost-effective workplace walking program that positively impacted employee health. Feedback will also be provided on challenges encountered in relation to compliance and retention. Finally, practical, and social applications are discussed.