A Rural University Taking Steps to Improve Wellness

Background/Purpose: Universities continually look for ways to improve the wellness of students, faculty, and staff. Wellness programs can face unique challenges in a university environment (Reger, 2002).  These challenges can be compounded at a small, rural state university with limited funding.   Rural areas experience disproportionate health disparities including higher rates of obesity and chronic disease (Pleis, J & Lethbridge-Cejku, M, 2006).  These disparities are exacerbated by poor access to healthcare and fewer opportunities for physical activity (Yousefian, et al. 2009). In response to these challenges, this project sought to design an activity challenge that could potentially engage an entire university population by increasing activity knowledge and participation at a small, rural university.

Method: The participants were  faculty, staff, and students at a rural Division II University. Student groups of four participated against faculty and staff groups of four in a six week steps challenge.  Steps were tracked with pedometers provided to each participant and were self-reported each week for a six week time period.   Awards were given for the most steps at the group level weekly and at the end of the challenge. The challenge was evaluated using steps reported, a summative survey, and personal interviews with selected participants. 

Analysis/Results: The wellness initiative started with 240 participants. Fifty percent of the participants dropped out for various reasons including time and broken pedometers. Over 41 million steps were taken during the initiative. The average steps taken per day per participant were 8,500. Student participants averaged taking 2500 more steps per day the faculty and staff groups. Of those who completed post-surveys, over 80% reported increased activity levels and knowledge of activity levels 

Conclusions: Based on the results, the challenge met the goals of the initiative. A significant amount of activity took place over the course of the study. Participants reported becoming more active and being more aware of their activity levels during the challenge. The limitations of the project included technological and communication complications.  This project could be used as a guide for other small colleges and worksites seeking to implement a physical activity intervention.  Future studies should explore avenues to increase and maintain participation levels over the course of similar initiatives.