Intervention development for exercise promotion at active charity events in the UK

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Behavioral Science
• Intervention Design

Background:

• Active charity events offer opportunities to promote regular physical activity.
• Supporting sustained exercise habits in participants is crucial for long-term health benefits.
• Existing interventions may not fully address the unique needs of charity event participants.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design an evidence-based intervention package for active charity event organizers.
• To support participants in maintaining or adopting regular exercise behaviors.
• To apply the Intervention Mapping protocol for intervention development.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the Intervention Mapping protocol, a systematic, theory-driven approach.
• Conducted a mixed-methods needs assessment to identify behavioral and environmental determinants of exercise.
• Specified intervention outcomes, performance objectives, and selected theory-based change methods.
• Developed intervention components, including event-based and pre/post-event strategies.
• Performed pre-testing with former participants and feasibility testing at an event.

Main Results:

• The intervention package included an activity zone, exercise planner, and social media components.
• Pre-testing revealed high acceptability of the designed intervention components.
• Feasibility testing indicated low participant engagement with the intervention.
• The Intervention Mapping protocol guided the systematic development process.

Conclusions:

• The designed intervention package shows promise but requires further development and testing.
• Low engagement suggests a need to refine strategies for better participant involvement.
• Future iterations should focus on enhancing intervention effectiveness and implementation feasibility.
• The Intervention Mapping protocol provides a robust framework for intervention design.