BARRIERS TO REPEAT PARTICIPATION IN A WORKSITE PEDOMETER PROGRAM

Worksite pedometer programs are effective tools in promoting movement byhelping participants break down common barriers to physical activity and improve health outcomes. When practitioners implement these types of health promotion programs multiple times, they may see an unexplained drop off in involvement in subsequent iterations. The purpose of this study was to determine the barriers that prevent repeat participation. A sample of 344 employees at American University who participated in a 2009 worksite pedometer challenge were surveyed about barriers that prevented them from also participating in 2010. This study examined the most common physical activity and program-related barriers to repeat participation. Respondents disagreed that any of the identified barriers prevented them from repeat participation except for already being physically active. It was concluded that practitioners should implement programming that encourages repeat participation from individuals with health risks and those who are already taking part in healthy activities.