Testing Strategies for Increasing Exercise

The purpose of the study is to learn more about effective ways to motivate people to
increase their non-exercise energy expenditure exercise. This is an important research
question because obesity and weight-related issues are increasingly becoming a problem in
America. This project will address this research question by testing the effect of group
dynamics in motivating employees who are predominantly sedentary to use Walkstations at
work. The Walkstations are treadmills that move at a very slow rate (maximum 2miles / hour)
and are attached to a work station (i.e. with computer and telephone); they therefore are
designed to increase energy spent not through heavy exercise, but through small changes in
posture and movement associated with routines in daily life (called nonexercise activity
thermogenesis or NEAT). The proposed study is designed to build upon previous research
(Levine et al., 2005) suggesting the role of NEAT-enhanced behaviors in weight loss.

In this study, the investigators are interested in the impact of group dynamics on the
propensity to use the Walkstations. Participants in the active arms will be asked to use the
Walkstations for at least 3 hours per week. They will do so by signing up for a time slot.
During their session, they will be asked to log into the scheduling system to indicate that
they are using the Walkstation. Walkstation usage will be assessed by log-in data: employees
will log-in to the phone and computer when they use the Walkstation. This log-in data is
work-station specific; therefore the investigators will be able to tell when a given subject
used the Walkstation.

Subjects will be randomly assigned to one of three conditions:

1. Individual. In the individual condition, participants will not be part of a team. They
will receive weekly email feedback on their Walkstation performance (e.g. number of
time slots they signed up for, and number of times they showed up for the time slot.)
Participants will also receive a wellness tip in each email. (see appendix for a sample
email)

2. Pairs. In the pair condition, participants will be randomly assigned to a partner. They
will receive the same feedback as those in the individual condition, for both
themselves AND their partner.

3. Group. In the group condition, participants will be randomly assigned to a group of 5
people. They will receive the same feedback as those in the individual condition, for
both themselves AND each member of their group.