The Impact of Real-time Feedback on Physical Activity Patterns in Flemish Employees

• Physical Activity Level [ Time Frame: One year ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  To account for differences in body size and composition, the 24-hour energy requirement (kcal/day) is expressed as a multiple of the basal metabolic rate per 24 hours by using the PAL value (PAL = total energy expenditure/basal metabolic rate). A desirable PAL includes the regular practice of physical activity at work or in spare time with an intensity and duration that will reduce the risk of becoming overweight and developing a variety of non-communicable chronic diseases usually associated as co-morbidities with obesity. This corresponds to PAL values of 1.75 and higher.
  
  

• Daily Energy Expenditure in Physical Activity [ Time Frame: One year ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  Minutes of physical activity. Activities can be classified as moderate-intensity, vigorous-intensity or very vigorous-intensity activities based upon the amount of energy used by the body while doing the activity.
  
  
• Percent of Participants Losing Fat Percentage [ Time Frame: One Year ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  The amount of body fat is measured by bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA).
  
  
• Stages of Motivational Readiness for Physical Activity [ Time Frame: One Year ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  According to The Stages of Motivational Readiness for Change Model (SOC), individuals move through a series of stages as they adopt and maintain a new habit(Prochaska & DiClemente, 1983). Specifically, the stages include Precontemplation, Contemplation, Preparation, Action, and Maintenance.The relevant variables were assessed in a self-administered questionnaire.
  
  
• Step Count [ Time Frame: One Year ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  Daily number of steps
  
  

The purpose of this intervention study is to determine the effectiveness of continuous self-monitoring and real-time feedback from the SenseWear Armband (BodyMedia) alone and in combination with Personal Coaching to enhance physical activity and influence consciousness about its own physical activity patterns over a 12-month period in sedentary Flemish employees. The investigators hypothesize that the use of the feedback will increase awareness and subsequent physical activity levels of inactive office workers. Another hypothesizes is that the weekly meeting with a Personal Coach will add a controlling element and therefore employees of the 'coaching group' will have a higher physical activity level at the end of the intervention period compared to the other groups.