Flinders  is committed to improving the wellbeing of its staff, and in November/December 2014 more than 250 Flinders academic and professional staff across a number of our South Australian and Northern territory sites participated in the Bupa Pedometer Challenge.

University Employee Health Plan supplier Bupa provided the Challenge website as well as a pedometer for each staff member who participated.

It is well known that regular physical activity leads to improved physical and psychological health including better sleep, stress resilience, productivity and mood. The Challenge was also designed to develop teamwork and increase morale through bringing together and engaging staff.

A brief summary of the demographics of Challenge participants shows 81 per cent of participants were female, 19 per cent were male, and that majority of the participants were in the 26 to 55 age brackets.

Before the Challenge began, entrants were asked to rate their perceived daily activity and 81 per cent indicated that they did less than 10,000 steps a day, with the majority of that group doing less than 7,500 steps a day. By putting on their pedometers, the first day of the Challenge recorded average total steps was just over 9,000 steps. The highest recorded daily average number of steps for an individual staff member over the 4 weeks was in excess of 21,000.

There was an increase of 20 per cent in activity from all entrants over the duration of the Challenge.

Positive health results from the Challenge include:

• 51.9 per cent of participants reported feeling fitter as a result of participating in the Challenge
• 38 per cent of entrants reported that they lost weight
• 40 per cent of entrants felt they had more energy and were sleeping better
• 38 per cent felt that exercise helped them manage stress better
• 19 per cent felt healthier than before the Challenge
• 23 centfound that it improved team spirit and morale.

88 per cent of respondents said they would enter the Challenge again if it was offered, and they rated their experience at 8 out of 10.

Thanks to all staff who participated and please watch out for future staff wellbeing initiatives. Check out the University’s Wellbeing Calendar.