Lamb, S. E. (Sallie E.), Bartlett, H. P., Ashley, A. and Bird, W. (2002) Can lay-led walking programmes increase physical activity in middle aged adults? : a randomised controlled trial. Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, Vol.56 . pp. 246-252. doi:10.1136/jech.56.4.246

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Abstract

Study objective: To compare health walks, a community based lay-led walking scheme versus advice
only on physical activity and cardiovascular health status in middle aged adults.
Design: Randomised controlled trial with one year follow up. Physical activity was measured by questionnaire.
Other measures included attitudes to exercise, body mass index, cholesterol, aerobic capacity,
and blood pressure.
Setting: Primary care and community.
Participants: 260 men and women aged 40–70 years, taking less than 120 minutes of moderate
intensity activity per week.
Main results: Seventy three per cent of people completed the trial. Of these, the proportion increasing
their activity above 120 minutes of moderate intensity activity per week was 22.6% in the advice only
and 35.7% in the health walks group at 12 months (between group difference =13% (95% CI 0.003%
to 25.9%) p=0.05). Intention to treat analysis, using the last known value for missing cases,
demonstrated smaller differences between the groups (between group difference =6% (95% CI -5% to
16.4%)) with the trend in favour of health walks. There were improvements in the total time spent and
number of occasions of moderate intensity activity, and aerobic capacity, but no statistically significant
differences between the groups. Other cardiovascular risk factors remained unchanged.
Conclusions: There were no significant between group differences in self reported physical activity at
12 month follow up when the analysis was by intention to treat. In people who completed the trial,
health walks was more effective than giving advice only in increasing moderate intensity activity above
120 minutes per week.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Subjects:	R Medicine > RA Public aspects of medicine
Divisions:	Faculty of Medicine > Warwick Medical School
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Fitness walking -- Great Britain, Middle-aged persons -- Health and hygiene, Self-care, Health
Journal or Publication Title:	Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health
Publisher:	BMJ Group
ISSN:	0143-005X
Official Date:	2002
Dates:	Date Event 2002 Published
Volume:	Vol.56
Page Range:	pp. 246-252
DOI:	10.1136/jech.56.4.246
Status:	Peer Reviewed
Access rights to Published version:	Open Access
Funder:	British Heart Foundation, Great Britain. Countryside Agency

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