Promoting stair climbing in public-access settings: An audit of intervention opportunities in England

ObjectiveIntroducing message prompts at the 'point-of-choice' (POC) between stairs and escalators increases stair choice in 'public-access' settings (e.g. malls). For nationwide campaigns, plentiful POCs appear needed. We audited the availability of POCs in public-access settings across England.MethodsBoundaries for 25 urban areas (population = 6,829,874) were verified using Ordinance Survey maps, which showed all airports and train/tram stations. Malls and bus stations were identified from commercial listings and local authority web-pages. From September 2010-March 2011 two investigators visually inspected all venues (N = 410), counting 'true' POCs and 'quasi' POCs (i.e. instances where stairs were visible from, but not adjacent to, escalators).Results5% of venues had ≥ 1 true POC (quasi POC = 3%). Aggregating across areas, there was a true and quasi POC for every 243,924 and 379,437 people, respectively. There were regional variations; one area had 10 true/quasi POCs, whilst 10/24 remaining areas had none. POCs were more common in airports (4/6 venues) than malls (11/85) and train stations (4/215).ConclusionAlthough public-access POCs reach sizeable audiences, their availability in England is sporadic, precluding nationwide campaigns. Interventions should be considered locally, based on available POCs. Work/community venues (e.g. offices, hospitals), where pedestrians choose between stairs and elevators, may provide greater intervention opportunities.

► Stair/escalator pairings are rare in English public-access sites. ► There is limited scope for using prompts to increase stair choice in these sites. ► The availability of stair/escalator pairings varies between geographic areas. ► Therefore, interventions must be planned at local and not national level. ► Work/community settings may provide greater intervention opportunities.