Applying a deterrence nudge strategy for promoting stair usage in a university setting

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Behavioral Science
• Health Promotion

Background:

• Promoting physical activity is crucial for public health.
• University settings offer opportunities to implement health behavior interventions.
• Stair usage is an accessible form of physical activity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of time-targeted Point-of-Decision Prompts (PODPs) in increasing stair usage.
• To determine if indirectly deterring elevator use can promote stair climbing in a university environment.

Main Methods:

• A quasi-experimental pre-post design was used over three weeks.
• Observations of participant behavior were conducted before and during the intervention.
• Logistic regression analysis assessed the impact of PODPs on stair usage.

Main Results:

• Time-targeted PODPs significantly increased stair usage (coefficient = 0.435, p < 0.01).
• Females (coefficient = -0.820, p < 0.05) and individuals aged ≥30 years (coefficient = 1.048, p < 0.01) were more responsive to the intervention.
• The intervention demonstrated a notable influence on stair climbing behavior.

Conclusions:

• Time-targeted PODPs are an effective strategy to promote stair usage.
• Deterrence nudges can enhance the impact of health messages.
• Interventions should consider tailoring messages for specific demographics like females and older adults (≥30 years).