Changes in steps per day over the course of a pilot walking intervention

The objective of this study is to explicate changes in steps per day observed over the course of a pilot study concerned with promoting walking. A pre/post single group design was used to evaluate a 12-month group intervention with 6-month follow-up with a sample of twenty-one sedentary, hypertensive African American women 25-68 years of age. A 3-hour monthly meeting was paired with an at-home walking component. Results indicated that the total group experienced a slight increase (5%) in mean steps per day at the end of the 12-month intervention, while a subgroup experienced a 13% decrease. However, mean steps per day increased from baseline to 6-month follow-up for both groups. Mean steps per day increased from 3857 to 5582 (37%) for total group and from 4659 to 7038 (51%) for the subgroup.

A group intervention can have a positive impact on promoting walking among African American women; however, multi-phased interventions may be necessary to assist this population meet current physical activity recommendations.