Rural Libraries Implementing Walking Groups

Rural American adults have higher rates of chronic physical activity-related illness and are less active than their urban counterparts, with less than 20% meeting U.S. physical activity guidelines of 150-300 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity per week. Walking is the most common form of physical activity and people who walk are more likely to meet physical activity guidelines. However, rural adults walk significantly less compared with their urban counter parts. Group walking programs are an effective, evidence-based approach to promote walking for health; however, there is a lack of capacity in rural communities to deliver such programs.

To address this gap, we adapted an evidence-based guide for delivering group-based walking programs for cancer survivors and their friends and family, Step It Up! Survivors and provided capacity building (technical assistance and small grant funding), to 8 Oregon community organizations to implement Step It Up Survivors. All organizations successfully held at least one weekly walking group for six months with 258 unique walking group members and a weekly median of 12 participants per walking group.

We built on this study to expand reach and build capacity with rural libraries in Oregon. Eighteen rural Oregon libraries agreed to be part of a study comparing the effects of a group walking program, Step It Up versus Step It Up plus a civic engagement program, Change Club, aimed at enhancing walkability, to improve physical activity in rural adults. The libraries were randomized to deliver one of the two programs. The librarians enrolled 330 participants (average of 18 participants per library) who committed to being in a two-year program and research study. Preliminary findings and implementation outcomes from this ongoing two-year study will be presented.