Pedometer Challenge 2014 Partners Information Session Sinead Flavin

Pedometer Challenge 2014 Partners Information Session Sinead Flavin and Siobhan Hamilton 14 th August 2014

Agenda 11: 30 Welcome, Refreshments and Introductions 11: 45 Overview of the Pedometer Challenge & Role of the Workplace Coordinator 12: 00 ‘How I Did It’ - Experience of a Workplace Coordinator - Irene Gilroy, Health Promotion Officer, St. Vincent's University Hospital 12: 15 Registration and Team Captains Role and Leader Boards 12: 30 Motivating Employees to be More Active- Slí na Sláinte - Active@Work Award Ann Scanlon, Irish Heart Foundation 12: 50 Questions 13: 00 Close

What is the Pedometer Challenge?

Pedometer Challenge • • • Fun & free annual event to promote walking Teams of 3 -6 people Walk for four weeks (habit-forming) Steps are logged on a pedometer Participants aim for 10 K steps per day Encourages physical activity & modal shift

What did we achieve in 2013? 4, 250 participants from 56 organisations took more than 1 billion steps, travelling over 900, 000 km during the 4 week Challenge

Participant Feedback What were your TOP 3 reasons for participating in the Pedometer Challenge? 90% 80% 77% 70% 60% 51% 43% 40% 41% 30% 24% 20% 22% 13% 10% 12% 7% 0% Fitness/ Exercise It was For To support organised enjoyment my by my colleagues workplace To lose weight To reduce To support my carbon the Irish footprint Heart Foundation 4% To win prizes For health My reasons colleagues persuaded me!

Participant Feedback BEFORE the Pedometer Challenge. . . How did you usually travel to work? Pick one box only for the longest part by distance of your typical journey 60% 51% 50% 12% walked to/from work before the Challenge 40% 30% 20% 12% 10% 12% 9% 9% 3% 0% On foot Bicycle Bus, minibus or coach Luas 1% Train or DART Motorcycle or scooter 2% 2% Driving a Passenger car in a car with driver going to same to different destination 0% 0% Taxi Lorry or van Other means Work mainly at or from home

Walking to Work Participant feedback DURING the Challenge, did you walk to or from work? 70% 60% 57% 50% 40% 30% 28% 20% 15% 10% 0% Yes, on a regular basis Yes, on an occasional/ one-off basis No 45% walked to/from work on a regular or occasional basis during the Challenge

Walking to Work Participant Feedback AFTER - Do you plan to walk to or from work now that the Challenge is over? 60% 54% 50% 40% 30% 26% 20% 19% 10% 0% Yes, on a regular basis Yes, on an occasional/ one-off basis No 45% planned to walked to/from work on a regular or occasional after the Challenge

Participant Feedback How did you and your team benefit from the Pedometer Challenge? 80% 70% 65% 60% 52% 51% 44% 40% 30% 20% 13% 10% 0% 16% 13% 5% 2% Did not benefit Increased Feeling good Making new Boost in Enjoyed Reduced fitness about myself friends at staff morale being part of stress work a team Weight loss Increased activity Other

Coordinator Feedback • 98% of respondents said colleagues enjoyed the Pedometer Challenge • Most coordinators organised some activities and events in their workplace during the challenge • 100% would encourage their organisation to take part in future Pedometer Challenges

Participant Photos 'Roadrunners' Team, Cork County Council Martin & The Golden Girls, Cook Medical Waist Watchers, University Hospital Galway Happy Feet, Cork County Council Knicker Walker Glories, Croke Park The Accelerators, University Hospital Galway 6 Left Feet Team Trinity College Dublin

2014 Prizes • Best Workplace Trophy • Prizes of tablets for top 3 teams on the final leaderboard for desk and non-desk based • Best Coordinator Prize • One place worth approx € 2, 500 on Irish Heart Foundation 2015 overseas walk • Spot prizes throughout the Challenge including activity trackers and goodie bags

2014 Pedometers • Omron HJ 005 & Silva Ex Step • Used in previous events • € 10 – portion of every sale goes to the Irish Heart Foundation • Retails at approx € 12 • Available online through challenge website www. pedometerchallenge. ie

!!!!! NEW THIS YEAR !!!!! • Only Steps on Your Pedometer Count! • Activities you can record on your pedometer e. g. walking, gardening, jogging, aerobics. • Activities where your pedometer is not a reliable measure such as swimming, cycling, rowing can’t be included. • The use of an activity converter is no longer permitted for converting effort into steps. • Evens up the competition!

How to Purchase Pedometers NO Cash/Cheque Handling • Team Captain buys pedometers online at www. pedometerchallenge. ie • Using Pay. Pal – need a credit or debit card • Print out receipt & gives to Coordinator in exchange for Pedometers • Coordinator returns receipts to NTA Smarter Travel Team If participants already have a pedometer they can use it.

Faulty/ Lost Pedometers • Faulty: replace free of charge– coordinator please test and return to us with completed ‘faulty pedometer form’ • Lost – must repurchase

Pedometers Buying pedometers on behalf of employees: • Use a company credit card & Pay. Pal (10, 50 or 100 units) Unsold units: • If you have a large number of unused pedometers once event begins – please return most of them (keep some replacements)! • End of event – return all unsold units All unsold units and Pay. Pal receipts must be returned by 31 st October 2014.

Pedometer Challenge 2014 Participants should aim for 10, 000 steps per day. Steps should be built up gradually. Weekly ‘Virtual’ Challenge Team Pledge

Promoting the Event

Publicising to Colleagues • • Email all staff (email text provided) Newsletter & Intranet Posters in halls, canteens, lifts, toilet doors Present at management & team meetings Sign up PC in canteen over lunch – get help Create internal competition Give it a last big push in early Sept. - have a launch event, e. g. lunchtime walk! • Promote from next week!!

Getting Management Support Why get involved? • Increases physical activity and employee wellbeing • Contributes to team building • Reduces pressure on parking • Positive publicity 75% of adults & 86% of children in Ireland DO NOT MEET the relevant National Physical Activity Guidelines.

Keeping Colleagues Motivated During the Challenge

Sponsor Internal Prizes • Inter and intradepartmental competition • Staff vs Management • Internal prizes – more chance of winning, more local involvement • Great content for newsletters/intranet

My Experience Irene Gilroy, Health Promotion Officer St. Vincent’s University Hospital

St. Vincent’s University Hospital (SVUH) Pedometer Challenge 2013 11 th September - 8 th October 2013

Planning process • Identify a coordinator • Enlist assistance • Set a challenge • Arrange motivational events • Prize giving event

Setting the target

Can your team walk to Westport in 28 days!

Why Westport? • 268 km from SVUH to Westport • 8 km = 10, 000 steps • SVUH to Westport = 335, 000 Westport Steps • Challenge = 28 days • Team would have to average 12, 000 steps per day to reach Westport in 28 days • Virtual challenge SVUH

Seeking participation • Participation – built on each year • Factors which encouraged participation: – Involvement in previous challenges – Interdepartmental competition – Individuals wanted to become more active – Staff wanted to be part of something – Good weather – And of course…PRIZES!

In order for staff to become involved, they have to know about it! Communication, Communication

Communication methods • • • All users emails Newsletters Posters Word of mouth Heads of Department meetings • Staff briefings • “Who took the most steps? ” competition • Information stands

Active@work Day • 11 th September • Badminton Ireland • Sports clubs from within SVUH and from the local area • Competitions • Prizes!!

Maintaining motivation • Map of Ireland was set up in hospital showing how far each team is along the road to Westport each week. • Encouraged staff to work harder to reach Westport before the end of the challenge. • Served as a promotional tool for the

Maintaining motivation Interdepartmental competition was rife!

Outcome • 34 teams signed up in SVUH • 30 teams finished the challenge • 174 staff took part (up from 77 in 2012) • 23 (77%) teams made it to Westport and some were on their way back to Dublin

The Pedometer Challenge Winners! 939, 145 steps – enough to take them to Westport, back to Dublin and back to Westport again!

‘Walking on the Wild Side’

The Tone Rangers Haematology A

How the winning team did it… “We walked or cycled to work instead of commuting and also scheduled in team lunchtime walks on the Slí na Sláinte walking route around the hospital. …. . We increased (perhaps a little obsessively!) our afterwork exercise routines including going swimming, playing tennis, tag rugby, jogging, walking the dog and general walking and cycling. After the first week, an evening did not go by that we all did not complete some form of exercise. ”

How the winning team did it… “Two of our team did a lot of cycling, on average 2 hours each evening. Another team member reported to really increase their dog walking activities!! …. At weekends, the two cyclists targeted a very lengthy and challenging cycle. …. On one particular night out, we all avoided using taxis, to instead walk home!! …. From an early stage we used weekends to target big scores, initially, 40, 000 was the target, but that soon increased to 55, 000 and over on a few occasions. ”

How the winning team did it… …. As we were doing well, we kept an eye on what the top team was achieving and calculated what we needed to do to be in with a chance and set targets as a result, again our approach was definitely obsessive!” …. We walked a lot, laughed a lot, and felt an enormous sense of achievement in completing such a strongly supported national challenge. We genuinely hope to be involved again in 2014. ”

Another “regular” participant…. “Since I started the pedometer challenge I am much more conscious of what I am doing walking-wise on a daily basis. …. We have a circle route around our hospital campus that I enjoy traversing to get air and relaxation and exercise, and I cycle to and from work. …. All in all it is proving to be a very worthwhile exercise in every way. I generally feel a lot better, and it is very good for relaxing given the stressful nature of my work at times. ”

Key Learning/Tips • • Make it fun!! Make it achievable! Make it easy to participate! Events to maintain motivation through out the four weeks.

Registration/ Step Logging/ Leader Boards/ FAQs All online!

Individual Step Logs Go Online to download and printout Provide a copy to participants with pedometer

Registration – Team Captain only pedometerchallenge. ie Please let your IT department know that your colleagues will be accessing this site! smartertravelworkplaces. ie Please note that only the team captain must have an email address

Team Captain Registration

Complete Personal Details

Complete Team Details

Team Captains – Log Steps Click on the date you wish to record steps for

Enter Team Steps Enter steps for each team member beside their name

See Team Captain Savings & Average Team Steps

Active Travel Logger • Steps can be entered on a daily or weekly basis by Team Captain • Back-logging possible for one week • Excel sheet for Team Captains to keep records – download from website

Team Statistics

Organisation Statistics

Leader Boards

Leader Boards • Updated after Week 1 on Tuesdays and Fridays. • Steps to be logged by 2 pm each Monday and 2 pm every Thursday to be included in the weekly and mid-week leaderboards. • Final Leader Board – after event ends and QA has been conducted! • You can download leaderboard for your workplace online and put it on display in your workplace (noticeboards/intranet)

Kick-off • Participants can register online from next week (you’ll be sent an email reminder) • Posters- please take these today • Step Logs/ Pedometers sent to you from next week • Publicise from next week so teams start forming

Key Dates • Pedometer Challenge Starts Monday 8 th September • European Mobility Week 16 th -22 nd September • World Heart Day Monday 29 th September • Pedometer Challenge Ends Sunday 5 th Oct • Final day to log steps Wednesday 8 th October at 2 pm.

Next steps…your role! 1. Publicise the event – put up posters & circulate email text provided 2. Help teams find each other (if required) 3. Receive and manage pedometers 4. Provide Pedometers to participants in exchange for Pay. Pal receipts 5. Return Pay. Pal receipts and unused Pedometers to NTA following the challenge (by 31 st Oct 2014).

Motivating Employees to be More Active Slí na Sláinte Active@Work Award Where does your Fundraising Go? Ann Scanlon Workplace Health Promotion Officer

Step up to the challenge! Ann Scanlon Health Promotion Officer

www. irishheart. ie www. stroke. ie

What do we do?

Where your money goes?

Quiz How much moderate intensity physical activity is recommended for heart health? 20 minutes daily 30 minutes three times a week At least 30 minutes five days of the week? � � �

Quiz Physical inactivity carries a similar health risk to that of smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol? True � False �

Some facts! • Physical inactivity carries a similar health risk as smoking, high cholesterol and high blood pressure (Bauman 1998) but yet • Over ½ the Irish population is inactive • Higher social classes more active • Men remain active for longer than 6 months compared to women (SLAN 2008)

Your programme • Creating awareness • Changing behaviour • Changing the environment

Are employees in your company ready to Step up to the Pedometer Challenge? • Physical readiness • Psychological readinessbigger barrier

Are employees in your company ready to Step up to the Pedometer Challenge? • Physical readiness • Psychological readinessbigger barrier

What are barriers to activity?

Common barriers to getting active • • Time Weather Inconvenient Lack self-motivation, self confidence Fear of injury Lack support/encouragement No parks, bicycle trails, walking paths Cost

Exploring the mindset? Maintenance (PA is a habit) Pre-contemplation (Inactive + not thinking about PA) Contemplation (Inactive + thinking about PA) Action (Doing enough PA but for less than 6 mths) Preparation (Doing some PA)

How do your employees measure up? • NO, I’m not physically active now and don’t have plans to change • NO, I’m not physically active now but I’m thinking about being active in the next 6 months • NO, I’m not physically active now but I plan to become active in the next 30 days • YES, I’m physically active now but it has been less than 6 months since I started • YES, I’ve been physically active for more than 6 months

Raising Awareness • • Increase knowledge ( leaflets, ezine) Understanding benefits of being active Be aware of risk (Inactivity and health risks) Increasing healthy opportunities (short breaks at work)

Increase motivation • Make if fun and enjoyable –how you advertise it • Make it achievable –goal setting • Introduce small changes- parking car further away, take the stairs • Reduce boredom-vary walking route, walk with friends etc • Support PA breaks during the day

Increase motivation • Map out local public transport, Dublin Bike station map • Set up lunch-time walking group • Signage at lifts-count out steps to different locations in office • Provide bike racks/shower locker facilities • Promote walking meetings • Liaise with local fitness centres for discounts • Provide weather gear at reception • On site classes

Encouraging change • Substituting alternatives (PA when tired or stressed, walk after dinner) • Social support (family, workplace, workmates) • Reward oneself (goals and reward for achievement) • Commitment (plans) • Reminders (runners at work)

Slí na Sláinte mapped workplace routes Slí na Sláínte

‘Time to Walk’ Signs From here to: (Location e. g. Town Centre) Distance in Km (time it takes in minutes) Multiple distance in Km x 12. 5 minutes to work out average walking time Slí na Sláínte

Indoor signage

Walking Leader Training Slí na Sláínte

Slí na Sláinte Programme Edel Byrne ebyrne@irishheart. ie www. irishheart. ie/sli Slí na Sláínte

Active@Work Award • All workplaces can apply • Bronze, Silver, Gold level

Can you apply? • YES! Already meeting Bronze level Must meet criteria • Management buy-in • Active@Work champion and team • Identifying employees’ needs • Communication with employees vital • Inactive people participate in programmes

Achieving the award • • • Register: email ascanlon@irishheart. ie Decide which level Portfolio of evidence (October 2014) Co-ordinator and Employees’ survey Certificate of Achievement Award Ceremony November 2014

Bronze Award • Baseline survey • Create awareness • One 4 -5 week physical activity programme • Programmes inclusive of all workers • Reduce sedentary activity • Company/employee survey

Silver Award Meet criteria for Bronze Award plus. . . • 2 physical activity programmes 4 weeks • Links to local walking/sporting organisations • Develop component of Slí na Sláinte workplace programme (or similar programme)

Gold Award Meet criteria for silver award plus. . • Walking group • National campaigns • Total of 3 physical activity programmes • Workplace policy • Encourage active commuting

Cost of active@work programme • For organisations with 50 employees or less: No charge • For organisations with 51 -300 employees: € 100 • For organistaions with 301 -500 employees: € 200 • For organisations with 500 or more employees: € 300

Review of workplace interventions Workplace walking interventions that focus on: • Facilitated goal setting • Diaries • Self- monitoring • Walking routes Can increase walking/step count A review of Effectiveness of workplace Heath Promotion Interventions on Physical activity and what works in motivating and changing employees’ health www. nice. org. uk Dugdill et al 2008

Irish Heart Month 2014 • Magazine 24 page • Posters • Wallet card with information on standard drink www. irishheart. ie/saywhensooner

Happy Heart at Work • Healthy Eating Award • Health Checks • Physical Activity

For more information • www. irishheart. ie • Email: ascanlon@irishheart. ie • Telephone: 01 -6346956 DD

Queries www. pedometerchallenge. ie pedometerchallenge@smartertravelworkplaces. ie

Best of Luck!