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. 2011 Dec;45(15):1202-7.
doi: 10.1136/bjsm.2009.070201. Epub 2010 Jun 11.

Allez Hop, a nationwide programme for the promotion of physical activity in Switzerland: what is the evidence for a population impact after one decade of implementation?

Miriam Wanner  1 , Eva Martin-Diener, Georg F Bauer, Hanspeter Stamm, Brian W Martin
Affiliations
Free PMC article

Allez Hop, a nationwide programme for the promotion of physical activity in Switzerland: what is the evidence for a population impact after one decade of implementation?

Miriam Wanner et al. Br J Sports Med. 2011 Dec.
Free PMC article

Abstract

Objectives: To present evidence for a population impact of a national physical activity promotion programme after a decade of implementation.

Methods: The programme Allez Hop offered local physical activity courses (mainly walking and Nordic walking) once a week over 12 weeks. Data from a pretest posttest survey in 2005 course participants (N=2157 at baseline (of 4130, 52.2%), 1587 at first follow-up (73.6%); smaller subsample with second follow-up) and from repeated cross-sectional national surveys have been analysed regarding changes in physical activity behaviour.

Results: The total number of Allez Hop courses was 18 684 between 1997 and 2008. 89.2% of participants were women, the mean age was 48.5 years. The proportion meeting the physical activity recommendations was 31.7% at baseline, in participants with first follow-up data it increased from 33.1% to 42.3% (p<0.001). On the population level in the main user group of Allez Hop (middle-aged women) the proportion not engaging in any sport decreased from 50.1% (1997) to 47.2% (2002) and to 43.1% (2007) (p<0.01). Walking/hiking was the second most frequently performed sport (33.7%) in 2007, with the most remarkable increase since 2000 (+11.1%).

Conclusions: Allez Hop was successfully implemented for more than a decade, reached middle-aged women and a high proportion of insufficiently active individuals. Changes in participants' physical activity behaviour must be interpreted cautiously because of low response rates and short follow-up. However, indications for behavioural changes were observed at the population level, even though these data do not allow a causal link to Allez Hop.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: None.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Development of Allez Hop courses and ‘meetings’ between 1997 and 2008, by course discipline. Data were not available by course discipline for 2008.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Changes in the proportion of men and women that did not engage in any sport, fitness activities or gymnastics (based on the Swiss Health Survey) between 1997 and 2007.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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