© 2010 National Heart Foundation of Australia We love (Heart Foundation) Walking!

© 2010 National Heart Foundation of Australia

We love (Heart Foundation) Walking!

largest free walking network

Michelle WilsonNational Manager - Walking and Community Engagement


Does incentivising participation increase ongoing walking behaviour?

Benefits and challenges from Australia's

Outline

- About Heart Foundation Walking- Program model- Participant snapshot

- Walker Recognition Scheme

- Incentivised Recruitment Campaign- How, what, why, when- Retention rates- Barriers and challenges- Recommendations

- Conclusion

Heart Foundation Walking Slide 3© 2011 National Heart Foundation of Australia

About Heart Foundation Walking

• Australia’s largest free walking network

• A social, fun, free and easy way for people to walk and be active

• Based on the successful Heart FoundationJust Walk It program

• Important for health and community cohesion

• Helps participants meet the NationalPhysical Activity Guidelines

• Over the last 20 years, more than 80,000 Australians have participated in the Heart Foundation’s walking groups stepping out on over 4 million walks!

© 2010 National Heart Foundation of Australia Heart Foundation Walking Slide 4


• Work in partnership with Host Organisations to establish walking groups

• Volunteer Walk Organisers led walking groups

• Individuals can join our online virtual walking community

• Aims to make regular walking enjoyable and easy, especially those not used to being active.

• Groups can be any size, and walk at various times, days, places, durations and levels of difficulty.

undation of Australia Heart Foundation Walking

ProgramModel

Slide 6© 2011 National Heart Fo

Snapshot of participation


Heart Foundation Walking is Australia’s largestFREE walking network!

National

Total Participants 23,463Walkers 21,352Local Coordinators in local government and community settings 322

Volunteer Walk Organisers 1,789Walking groups 1,270Local government areas have HFW groups 271


Average group walks 49 mins once a week andhas been active for 3.4

years Longest running group - 20 years Largest group has 362

participants

HFW is fun, social and transferrable


IHeartV .Foundat1on

Heart Foundation Walking Slide9

© 2011 National Heart Foundation of Au stralia Heart Foundation Walking Slide 10

• 47% 51-70 years• 23% over 71 years – oldest walkers are in their 90’s• 80% Female• 41% with annual household income < $40k• 2% Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander• 60% of participants report as being overweight or

obese on the BMI scale

HFW successfully attracts populationgroups least likely to be active


Over 74% of HFW participants undertake sufficient levels of physical activity to obtain health benefits.

HFW participants met the National PhysicalActivity Guidelines


Typical community basedphysical activity programs have a six month retention rate of 50%.

HFW consistently demonstrates retention rates well above this – even at the three year mark.

© 2011 National Heart Foundation of Australia Heart Foundation Walking Slide 13

HFW is sustainable


Walker Recognition Scheme provides support, motivation and goal setting

Average 66% of participants opt in at registration

HFW Website - Participant Dashboard


Walking.heartfoundation.org.au

M y Wa l k i n g G r o u p s

S A L C E a r l y b i r d s E dit

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A d d G r o u p

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M a n a g e W a lk e rs Announcements

New HFW merchandose available for Pfe-ord< Walking VflfVe polo shirts are OON avaiable '

ewYeats Resolution Recruotmenl Campaog

R e c o r d A t t end a n c e02 M rch 2015

Year's Resolubon ReciUIImenl Campa gn. aD

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Local Sn,apshot

Walkers Groups Total Walks Ac

Find a New Group

Record IndiVIdual Walk Tome

-Find a New Group

Record Individual Walk Time

Onty 12 more walks until you reach your

next ac hievement of 25 walks!

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13

Other esources

• Walker Handbook

• Become a Walk Organiser


• 78% of Walkers and Walk Organisers rated the Walker Recognition Scheme as important.

• 70% of Walk Organisers and Area Coordinators agreed the Walker Recognition Scheme motivates their walkers.

• Events and trial walks are successfully used for recruitment and retention.

HFW Resources support recruitmentand longevity


Incentivised recruitment campaign

- 10 week campaign- increase

participants- investigate

effectiveness of using incentives to engage newparticipants on anongoing basis.

What did we do?

• New members were rewarded after registering and achieving a minimum level of activity within the campaign period.

• Existing groups were rewarded with a prize for:

- Greatest percentageincrease

- Greatest participant number increase


• Prizes were sourced from a Nationalsponsor (Medibank Community Fund)

• Promoted campaign nationallythrough low cost avenues– Radio,

– Facebook,

– Digital advertising

– Public relations activity

– Existing member networks

– New group launches and local events

• Walk Organisers submitted activity data to verify walks had taken place

How did we implement the campaign?


Group launches and events


What did we find?

Recruitment

1,508 new participants were recruited from September 1st – November 30th

51% increase from 2013

Heart Foundation Walking Slide 25

Participants Recruited0

200400600800

1000120014001600

20132014

• 37 new groups (100% increase from 2013)

• Increase in new registrations was expected….. But would walking behaviour be maintained post campaign.

What else did we find?



• 362 new participants (24%) were eligible for the incentive prize after completing a minimum of six walks with a HFW group within 8 weeks.

• 3 months – 17 of 362 (4.7%) no longer active.

• 6 months – 36 of 362 (9.9%) no longer active.

• 9 months - 43 of 362 (11.8%) are no longer active.

• 12 months – 59 of the 362 (16.3%) are no longer active.

Heart Foundation Walking Slide 25

But… Did our new recruits maintain participation?


How did this compare?

Participants recruited in the campaign

General HFW Participants

After 3 months 95.3% 97%



After 12 months* 83.8% 75%

After 2 years - 62%

After 3 years - 59%

* Preliminary data – not all participants are 12 months from registration as the campaign ended in November 204.


HFW is important for health andcommunity cohesion

• 90% of walkers surveyed reported HFW important for social and mental wellbeing.• 80% of walkers surveyed reported HFW important for their health and fitness.• Majority of members (80%) join for health reasons but stay for social reasons.• Main reasons for staying with HFW

• Fun and friendship• Safety• Group motivation

• “I have made new friends, we socialise outside of HFW. My health improved, I can walk safely and always have a laugh, so I feel good when I come home. I tell all my friends and neighbours about HFW - the best club I have ever joined. Everyone is so friendly.”

• “As a widow living alone, I find the morning walk and chat uplifts me.”

• The camaraderie of our walkers is absolute tops. We have had three socialfunctions for our members - walking has filled a void in life.”


• Administration (time, postage)• Reliance on volunteers

returning attendance logs within timeframe

• Local promotion• Technical support

followingthe campaign!

Barriers and challenges

oundation of Australia Heart Foundation Walk

• Walker Recognition Scheme continues to be an important program element

• Increase in new recruits when incentives offered

• Slight increase in retention rates

• Members join for social and health benefits

• Social benefits and friendships are the reasons people stay.

Conclusion

ing Slide 30© 2011 National Heart F

More information• Michelle Wilson National Program Manager

• P +618 8224 2888

• E [email protected]

• W walking.heartfoundation.org.au

www.facebook.com/HFWalking

@heartfoundationwalking


mailto:[email protected]















http://www.facebook.com/HFWalking









© 2010 National Heart Foundation of Australia We love (Heart Foundation) Walking!

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