Topic
HP2020 Topic: Environmental Health;
HP2020 Objectives: EH-2 Increase the use of alternative modes of transportation for work.
Transportation is an important determinant of public health. At the same time, the issue receives modest attention on the institutional level, which necessitates promotion at the community level (Litman, 2013). The project is expected to address the issue by communicating the health benefits of the practice to a segment of a target audience.
Target Audience
The target audience of the health promotion project is comprised of working adults who rely on transportation to get to work. Thus, the audience includes both male and female participants. The age range of the audience is estimated between 15 and 64 years, which is a typical demographic characteristic of the general population segment in question.
The topic of means of transportation used in trips to work is important for the audience due to its health implications. A growing body of evidence points to a direct relationship between the type of transportation used for trips to work and the state of health within the population segment. According to a recent systematic review by Kelly et al. (2014), walking and cycling are associated with a reduction in risk of all-cause mortality. The effect is observable after adjustment for other physical activities (Kelly et al., 2014). Considering the regular recurrence of trips and their relatively low difficulty, it is reasonable to expect it to be relevant to the audience.
Goal
The goal of the project is to increase the percentage of trips made to work using alternative means of transportation, with an emphasis on walking and bicycling as preferred methods. The outcome is expected to be observed in the long term, with the desired effect observed within a year after the project completion.
Objectives
- After participating in the project (condition), the audience (who) will be able to identify (performance) the main benefits of walking and cycling on their health (criterion).
- After familiarizing themselves with the available community resources (performance), the participants of the event (who) will be able to locate (performance) the community organizations that provide support for individuals interested in physical activity and alternative means of transportation (criterion).
- After the project’s termination (condition), the employees of the organization (who) will be ready to display (performance) commitment to the idea of switching to healthier means of transportation (criterion).
- After participating in the project (condition), the staff of the SoundFun Karaoke company (who) will be able to list (performance) the components and techniques used to integrate walking and bicycling into the company’s business practices (criterion).
- After familiarizing themselves with the positive effects of bicycling and walking on health (condition), the participants (who) will display a consistent interest in maintaining a healthy lifestyle (criterion).
Learning Domains
The majority of the objectives identified in the project are consistent with the classification of the cognitive learning domain. Specifically, the first objective involves the ability of the audience to memorize and recall certain information related to the health effects of the practice in question. Similarly, objective 2 requires the participants to demonstrate comprehension of the role of different community organizations in the development of a healthy habit and apply this knowledge in specific real-life situations. Finally, objective 4 requires the participants to synthesize the information by organizing the information received from the project’s staff and arriving at meaningful conclusions. Despite considerable coverage both in specialized and popular sources, the benefits of a healthy lifestyle remain unacknowledged by the majority of the population. Thus, communicating the positive outcomes in an accessible and clear manner is expected to contribute to population involvement.
Two remaining objectives can be classified as pertinent to the affective domain. For instance, objective 3 expects the participants to be responsive to the ideas communicated by the educators, facilitating the feeling of joy as a result of engaging with the experience. Similarly, objective 5 aims at the participants’ increased capacity for recognizing the value associated with the discussed practice and display commitment to proactively increase the value through involvement. Some types of transportation can be perceived as undesirable due to their socio-economic and cultural implications. It is thus important to address the perceived barriers associated with the practice to increase the readiness of the audience to adopt the practice.
Location
The community project is to be implemented in the community in South Florida. The planned participants are the employees of the SoundFun Karaoke company. The main reason behind the choice is the suitability of the company’s scale to the objectives of the project. The size of SoundFun Karaoke permits incorporating the received knowledge into their HR policies relatively easily, which makes it a good starting point for testing the institutional effects of the educational intervention.
Date and Time Frame
The project is tentatively planned for execution at (date and month). The presentation is broken down in two days to allow the participants to try the proposed approach and report on their experience. The time frame intended for the presentation is 50 minutes, currently scheduled at (time), with permission obtained from the manager.
Facility Contact Person
The informed consent was obtained from Rodrigo Da Cunha (position) (phone number). The signed copy of the consent form is included below.
Marketing Plan
The event is scheduled and organized in collaboration with the company management, who will also inform them of the attendance specifics. Thus, attendance is not expected to be an issue. The event can be marketed as promoting an affordable, entertaining, and effective method of maintaining good health.
References
Kelly, P., Kahlmeier, S., Götschi, T., Orsini, N., Richards, J., Roberts, N.,… Foster, C. (2014). Systematic review and meta-analysis of reduction in all-cause mortality from walking and cycling and shape of dose response relationship. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 11(132), 1-15.
Litman, T. (2013). Transportation and public health. Annual Review of Public Health, 34, 217-233.