Promoting Active Commuting – Success for Walking but not for Cycling Fiona Crawford Greater Glasgow Health Board, Dalian House, 350 St Vincent Street, Glasgow G3 8YY, Scotland E-mail: fiona.crawford@glasgow-hb.scot.nhs.ukSummary Nanette Mutrie, Claire Carney University of Glasgow Avril Blamey Greater Glasgow Health Board A pack entitled “Walk in to work out” was designed to encourage people to walk or cycle to work. Employees (n=295) from three workplaces, who were thinking about walking or cycling to work, were randomly assigned to an Intervention or Control group. The Intervention group (IG) received the pack immediately whilst the Control group (CG) waited 6 months for the pack. Both groups completed questionnaires, which explored physical activity, motivations and perceptions of health at baseline, 6 and 12 months. Focus groups provided qualitative information on these topics. The results indicate that the pack was successful in encouraging walking but not cycling. The IG was almost twice as likely to increase minutes walked to work as the CG at 6 months. The IG also reported greater improvements in physical and mental health functioning at 6 months in comparison to the CG. Only eighteen participants from the whole group reported cycling to work at 6 months, nine from the CG and nine from the IG. There were no differences in the reported average weekly minutes of cycling between the IG and CG. Follow-up focus group research identified less surmountable barriers faced by cyclists compared to walkers, for example, provision of safe cycle routes, cycle locking facilities etc. It is suggested that future work aimed at increasing the level of cycling in the UK needs to be a collaboration of structural, environmental and behavioural interventions. 1. Introduction Recent government White Papers on Public Health 1 and Transport 2 established targets to increase participation in regular physical activity and improve the environment. The physical activity target aims to increase the percentage of the population accumulating 30 minutes of moderate physical activity on five or more days each week. Active commuting (walking or cycling part or all of the way to work) could contribute to these targets. Research has shown that active commuting can increase fitness and improve health, 3 but to date, there have been no known trials of how to increase this behaviour in a Scottish workplace. 2. Aims This study aimed to test whether or not a cognitive behavioural intervention, delivered via written interactive materials (the “Walk in to Work out” pack), could increase active commuting (AC) behaviour (walking and cycling) in a workplace setting. The intervention was based on the transtheoretical model of behaviour change. 4 It targeted those who were thinking about active commuting (contemplators) and those who were doing some irregular active commuting (preparers). The Walk in to Work out pack, shown in Figure 1 below, contained the following components: • Booklet containing educational and practical information on: choosing routes, maintaining personal safety, shower and safe cycle storage information, useful contacts. • Wall Chart (activity diary) • Workplace map • Inserts: • distances from local stations • local cycle retailers and outdoor shops • organisations • Local maps • Reflective accessories