Participation in a nationwide workplace step count competition is associated with improved physical fitness and mental wellbeing: a longitudinal, repeated-measures analysis

Background: The widely-recognised health benefits of physical activity have led to the development of programmes designed to increase activity levels within workplaces, where inactivity is often prevalent. We aimed to evaluate how participation in a Scotland-wide workplace walking programme (Step Count Challenge (SCC)) influenced participants’ physical fitness and mental wellbeing.

Methods: A three-part multi-study design was employed, each using the Two-Minute Step Test and Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale to measure physical fitness and mental wellbeing respectively. Study 1 (Spring, 8-weeks, N=475) and Study 2 (Autumn, 4-weeks, N=390) were repeated-measures online-based nationwide cohort studies in 2021, and Study 3 (N=38) was an in-person experimental design with a control group in 2023.

Results: Studies 1 & 2 found significant improvement in physical fitness (Spring: p < .001, η2 = .19; Autumn: p = .014, η2 =.13) and mental wellbeing (Spring: p < .001, η2 = .13; Autumn: p = .007, η2 = .05). Study 3 found a significant group x time interaction for physical fitness (p =.018, η2 =.172), such that the SCC group significantly improved over time (p =.042, η2 =.131), and found no significant differences for mental wellbeing.

Conclusions: The findings of Studies 1 & 2 demonstrate that participation in SCC is associated with a positive effect on physical fitness and mental wellbeing, regardless of seasonal and duration differences. Study 3 also showed improvement in physical fitness, with a significantly greater increase for those who participated in SCC. This supports the promotion of future workplace walking programmes.