Promoting stair use in a US-Mexico border community

Objectives. This study sought to determine whether a culturally relevant he alth message would promote stair use in a predominantly Hispanic community. Methods. Observations of stair, elevator, and escalator use were collected over a 6-month period at 4 sites throughout the city of El Paso, Tex. The e fficacy of individual and family health promotion signs was tested. Results. Stair use increased in response to both individual and family prom otion health messages, and use varied widely by intervention site. Conclusions. These results underscore the importance of considering the phy sical characteristics of the environments targeted for health promotion cam paigns.