Healthy Trinity: B-Well
A Behaviour Change Course that Promotes Well-Being through Physical Activity
Are you stressed?- Do you wish you had more energy?
- Would you like to enjoy work more?
The Healthy Trinity B-Well Pilot Programme can help.
What is B-Well ?
Healthy Trinity B-Well staff programme is a PILOT behaviour change programme that:
- Motivates people to be more physically active
- Helps people find time for the exercise that suits them
- Supports people to create a physical activity friendly work environment
Participants attend a one hour workshop every week for 6 weeks. During the workshop they will:
- Do some fun physical activity
- Work together to decide what each person wants from the course
- Help each other set achievable weekly goals
- Learn how to overcome the usual problems with being active like lack of time, interest, energy, opportunity etc
- Learn how to motivate and encourage each other and their colleagues to be more active
- Identify ways that each participants' work environment can better support physical activity
When is B-Well On?
For the pilot programme we’re open to suggestion but we’re considering the following workshop dates:
Date: Tuesdays, 20th October – 24th November
Location: Start in the Sports Centre. We can move during the course if participants want to.
Time: 8.30am
Sign up before COB Thursday 15th of October.
How Do I Sign Up?
- Before Thursday 15th of October, speak to your manager and co-workers to confirm that you can attend the workshop during work hours.
- Email or phone Deirdre in the Sports Centre on deirdre.mullen@tcd.ie/01 896 4681 or call to reception in the Health or Sports Centres and ask for Martina/Deirdre.
To participate, you must be able to attend all workshops and you must be willing to participate in physical activity for at least an hour a week outside the workshop. It's up to you what physical activity you do. Unfortunately because this a pilot, places on the programme are limited.
If you've any questions, phone Martina on 01 896 2566 or Deirdre on 01 896 4681
Evaluation of the Pilot Programme
Summary
Aims: Prompted by the introduction of a Government Bill to promote health in the workplace and aided by data from a Masters study on lifestyle habits of Trinity staff and a review of literature, Healthy Trinity and Trinity Sport piloted a six week behaviour change programme called B-Well that aimed to 1) Increase physical activity of participants; 2) Recruit physical activity champions; 3) Create supportive work environments for physical activity. This document is an impact and process evaluation of B-Well.
Methods: Seven research questions were answered using pre and post intervention participant surveys, weekly participant worksheets, facilitator checklists and comments and manager feedback. Quantitative data was analysed in excel and qualitative data was thematically analysed. Data was analysed for 9 of the 10 original programme participants, 2 course facilitators and 3 managers.
Results: B-Well increased physical activity amongst the majority of participants both during the course and afterwards. Increases ranged in size from 67-350%. Changes in the confidence of participants to encourage others to be physically active were disappointing but unsurprising given that much of the behaviour change content of the course was omitted due to time constraints. Although one group did organise a campus walk for their colleagues, other participants made no changes to the workplace and some suggested that the B-Well framework was not strong enough to overcome barriers of culture and ethos. This outcome was also likely influenced by pressures of time but evidence suggests changes to the workplace are most likely to be effective at promoting physical activity. Recruitment was difficult and people had trouble understanding Exercise Hour. Participants liked the social aspect of B-Well and learning to be physically active but for some the physical activity part of each session should have been longer where as others benefitted from working in groups to overcome barriers to physical activity.