Community Guide Use
The Sedgwick County Health Department in Kansas used The Guide to Community Preventive Services (The Community Guide) to implement Walktober, a community-wide campaign to increase physical activity. Walktober promoted walking during the month of October to increase daily levels of physical activity in order to decrease risk for diabetes, cardiovascular disease and other chronic diseases.  Click the PDF icon to download the full text of this success story.
 
Implementation
In 2009, Sedgwick County Health Department used The Community Guide to select an empirically-based intervention focused on promoting physical activity for families connected to schools and workplaces. Walktober was implemented through the health promotion program of the health department, and used a community-wide intervention that was facilitated through schools and worksites.

 

Outcomes
The Sedgwick County Health Department’s implementation of Walktober in schools increased 366% from 3 schools in 2009 to 14 schools in 2012. Walktober’s implementation in worksites increased 600% from 1 worksite to 7 worksites over the same period of time. A majority of worksite participants agreed after the challenge they are more active than they were before the challenge and credit participating in Walktober to that change.

 

Over the course of Walktober 2012:

 

Model Capacity
Walktober’s focus on the following three audiences: schools, worksites, and the community at large, allows for a broader reach to individuals in the community and provides multiple channels of physical activity education.

 

Partnerships and Collaborations
From the implementation of Walktober, the Sedgwick County Health Department has leveraged partnerships with schools and worksites to encourage families and individuals in Sedgwick County to engage in 30 minutes of physical activity per day. In 2011, Sedgwick County Health Department collaborated with the Health and Wellness Coalition of Wichita to implement the initiative to a larger community-wide audience.