CAN INEXPENSIVE SIGNS ENCOURAGE THE USE OF STAIRS - RESULTS FROM A COMMUNITY INTERVENTION

Background: The U.S. Surgeon General advocates the accumulation of mod erate-intensity activity throughout the day to improve health. Objecti ve: To test the effectiveness of signs to encourage use of stairs inst ead of escalators. Design: Community intervention. Setting: Shopping c enter. Participants: 17 901 shoppers. Intervention: Signs promoting th e hearth and weight-control benefits of stair use were placed beside e scalators with adjacent stairs. Measurements: The sex, age, race,weigh t classification, and use of stairs were observed. Results: Overall, s tair use increased from 4.8% to 6.9% and 7.2% with the health and weig ht-control signs, respectively. Younger persons increased their stair use from 4.6% to 6.0% with the health sign and 6.1% with the weight-co ntrol sign. Older persons almost doubled their stair use from 5.1% to 8.1% with the health sign and increased use to 8.7% with the weight-co ntrol sign. Differential use of stairs was observed between ethnic gro ups. Among white persons, stair use increased from 5.1% to 7.5% and 7. 8% with the health and weight-control signs, respectively. Among black persons, stair use decreased from 4.1% to 3.4% with the health sign a nd increased to 5.0% with the weight-control sign. At baseline, lean p ersons used the stairs more often than overweight persons (5.4% and 3. 8%, respectively). The health sign increased stair use to 7.2% among n ormal-weight persons and 6.3% among overweight persons; the weight-con trol sign prompted stair use to increase to 6.9% among persons of norm al weight and to 7.8% among overweight persons. Conclusions: Simple, i nexpensive interventions can increase physical activity. Research is n eeded to identify effective motivators to promote activity among black persons.