Increasing Stair Use in an Office Worksite through an Interactive Environmental Intervention

PURPOSE: Examine the effects of an interactive environmental intervention on stair usage. DESIGN: A nonrandomized, quasi-experimental intervention. SETTING: Two three-story office buildings. SUBJECTS: Approximately 200 employees at the intervention site and 140 at the comparison site. INTERVENTION: The stairwell was decorated with interactive paintings such as maps, storyboards, and wish lists to encourage employees to take the stairs rather than the elevator. MEASURES: Daily stair and elevator usage were measured using electronic sensors or door-access card counters for 2 weeks prior to the intervention and 6 weeks after. ANALYSIS: The daily counts of stair use were modeled using a Poisson regression to estimate the effect of the intervention on staircase use. RESULTS: At baseline, the mean proportion of stair use relative to stair plus elevator use at the intervention site was 31.5% (95% confidence interval CI, 30.3%-32.7%). During the 6-week intervention period, this proportion increased significantly to 66.2% (95% CI, 64.4%-67.9%). There was no significant change in stair use at the comparison site. In a Poisson regression of the daily number of stair users, the incidence rate ratio associated with the intervention was 2.57 (95% CI, 2.35-2.82). CONCLUSION: This interactive environmental intervention increased stair usage in an office setting relative to the comparison site, and this increase was sustained over a 6-week period. Adding interactive components to motivational or environmental change interventions shows promise in increasing stair usage.