Picture of UK Houses of Parliament

Leading national thinking on politics, government & public policy through Open Access research

Strathprints makes available scholarly Open Access content by researchers in the School of Government & Public Policy, based within the Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences.

Research here is 1st in Scotland for research intensity and spans a wide range of domains. The Department of Politics demonstrates expertise in understanding parties, elections and public opinion, with additional emphases on political economy, institutions and international relations. This international angle is reflected in the European Policies Research Centre (EPRC) which conducts comparative research on public policy. Meanwhile, the Centre for Energy Policy provides independent expertise on energy, working across multidisciplinary groups to shape policy for a low carbon economy.

Explore the Open Access research of the School of Government & Public Policy. Or explore all of Strathclyde's Open Access research...

Strathprints

Walking on prescription : The utility of a pedometer pack for increasing physical activity in primary care

McKay, Jane and Wright, Annemarie and Lowry, Ruth and Steele, Kenny and Ryde, Gemma and Mutrie, Nanette (2009) Walking on prescription : The utility of a pedometer pack for increasing physical activity in primary care. Patient Education and Counseling, 76 (1). pp. 71-76. ISSN 0738-3991

Full text not available in this repository.Request a copy from the Strathclyde author

Abstract

Objective: This study used a multi-method approach to examine the effectiveness of a pedometer-based intervention delivered by health professionals for increasing walking. Methods: Pedometer packs were distributed to 374 patients who undertook a 12-week walking programme. Changes in walking were assessed at three months (using self-reported step-counts [n = 139] and questionnaire data [n = 104]) and at six months (using patient questionnaire data [n = 112]). Qualitative data were collected at both time points to identify underlying mechanisms. Results: After 12 weeks patients had increased their step-counts by 4532 steps/day (p < .001) and at six months were achieving 2977 more steps/day (equivalent to around 30 min/day) than at baseline. Over half the patients reported achieving this target on at least 5 days/week. Qualitative data indicated that the pedometer pack was perceived to be most effective when patients were ready to change and when ongoing support was made available. Conclusion: These findings support the use of pedometer-based interventions in primary care and suggest that the pedometer pack Could lead to sustainable changes in walking. Further investigation, using a randomised controlled trial design, is warranted. Practice implications: Provision of social support and accurate identification of patient readiness to change are important considerations in future implementation of the intervention. (c) 2008 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Item type:Article
ID code:35770
Keywords:pedometer, primary care, walking, physical activity, exercise, randomized controlled-trial, activity intervention, transtheoretical model, general practitioners, activity promotion, practice nurses, improve health, public health, adults, Personal health and hygiene, including exercise, nutrition , Medicine(all)
Subjects:Medicine > Public aspects of medicine > Personal health and hygiene, including exercise, nutrition
Department:Faculty of Education > Sport, Culture and The Arts
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (HaSS) > School of Psychological Science and Health > Physical Activity for Health
Depositing user: Pure Administrator
Date deposited:11 Nov 2011 14:50
Last modified:22 Feb 2019 03:25
URI:https://strathprints.strath.ac.uk/id/eprint/35770
Export data:
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)