Step on up! A multi-component health promotion intervention to promote stair climbing

Abstract

Objectives: To study the influence of a multi-component poster-based intervention to promote stair climbing in a library on a Canadian university campus. Participants: Adults who ascended to upper levels via staircase/elevator. Methods: Individuals who used the staircase/elevators were counted by observers for 28 days, while either in the absence/presence of a poster-based intervention. Chi-square tests were used to compare staircase versus elevator use before, during and after the poster-based intervention. Data from weekdays and weekends were analysed separately. Results: A total of 7,663 stair climbers and elevator users were observed. Compared to the baseline period, the frequency of staircase use on weekdays was significantly higher during the intervention and follow-up periods. This effect was not found at weekends. Conclusion: This study provides evidence that a multi-component poster-based intervention can result in increased staircase use. The increase observed in this study is similar to that in previous research using point-of-choice prompts only.