Physical Activity And Sedentary Behavior During A University-wide Faculty And Staff Movement Campaign

PURPOSE: To examine light physical activity (LPA), moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), sedentary behavior (SB), and step counts of university faculty and staff during a 4-week physical activity (PA) promotion campaign. METHODS: Faculty and staff from Xavier University (XU) and the University of San Francisco (USF) wore an ActiGraph (AG) activity monitor (XU: AG wGT3X-BT; USF: AG CentrePoint Insight Watch) on their dominant wrist for 7 weeks. Raw AG data (XU sample rate: 30 Hz; USF sample rate: 33 Hz) were converted to count data with the low frequency extension enabled. Minutes per day of LPA, MVPA, SB, and step counts were calculated using the Crouter Two Regression Model. The Choi algorithm eliminated non-wear time and data were included if ≥480 minutes of wear for ≥3 days/week. Surveys acquired demographic information. Differences between related means across time periods (during baseline, intervention weeks 1-2, intervention weeks 3-4, and 2-weeks post intervention) were assessed using a mixed effects model with an auto-regressive correlation structure, random intercepts, and including adjustment for total wear-time during each time period. RESULTS: Participants (n = 56) had an average age of 44.8 ± 12.3 years and were predominantly female (83.9%). The racial composition of the sample included 73.2% White, 16.1% classified as Other, and 10.7% Asian. During the four time periods, mean LPA ranged from 266 to 272 minutes/day, mean MVPA ranged from 94 to 99 minutes/day, mean SB ranged from 644 to 657 minutes/day, and mean step counts ranged from 18,804 to 19,072 steps/day. Mean total-wear time during each time period was 1,017 ± 154.6 minutes/day (baseline), 1,015 ± 148.6 minutes/day (intervention weeks 1-2), 1,022 ± 137.9 minutes/day (intervention weeks 3-4), and 1020 ± 156.4 minutes/day (2-weeks post intervention). No significant differences were observed across the four time periods for LPA (p = 0.428), MVPA (p = 0.236), SB (p = 0.574), or step counts (p = 0.603) per day. CONCLUSION: Consistent levels of PA, SB, and step counts were observed before, during, and after the PA promotion campaign. Our study highlights the need for additional research to understand the factors influencing PA engagement in university settings and inform targeted interventions for increasing PA among faculty and staff. Supported by USF Faculty Development Funds