Background:

An Active Travel Plan (ATP) has been promoted as a strategy to encourage employees to reduce car use in the workplace. However, the effect of an ATP intervention remains to be further tested. In this paper, we present The Liverpool Hospital Active Travel Plan as a case study to explore the issues related to promoting active transport.

Methods:

The Liverpool Hospital Active Travel Plan Study was developed in partnership with Liverpool Hospital Executive and the Health Promotion Service, South Western Sydney and Sydney Local Health Districts. Liverpool Hospital is located in the Liverpool CBD in south western Sydney and has a strong car culture. A series of tailored behavioural interventions together with an ATP were developed and implemented. The intervention was informed by a needs assessment and further tailored through process evaluation. A Pre/post evaluation was conducted to assess the intervention effects.

Results/Discussions:

There was a modest increase of staff use of active travel (i.e. walking from 2.3% to 4.3%) and a reduction in car use from 74.3% to 61.8% achieved in the first year and sustained in the second year of the study.
Following the mid-term assessment, the interventions have undergone further review and tailored further to meet the needs of participants.
It is anticipated that through further tailored interventions more staff will make a positive change from car use to active travel in the final year.

Conclusions/implications:

Active transport behavioural interventions require continual tailoring to specific worksites in order to maximise staff access to intervention programs developed. To maximise the ATP effects, further tailored interventions are required in which many factors related to car use including location, car culture and demographics of staff need to be addressed.