BeUpstanding™ Blog

Health promotion

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Trial findings are out for BeUpstanding! (hint – it works!)

BeUpstanding Stories

The main findings of the BeUpstanding trial have now been published! You can read the scientific paper here, see a summary of the findings in the video, or read more about it below. Evaluating BeUpstanding in a world-first implementation trial The evidence-based BeUpstanding program has been iteratively developed and tested across multiple phases in collaboration with end users and key policy and practice stakeholder. A key phase of this process was the national implementation trial of the program. From June 2019 to September 2021, we recruited desk-based teams from across Australia into trial, which was funded through the NMMRC Partnership Project grant scheme, and supported by our partners: Safe Work Australia, Comcare, Queensland Office of Industrial Relations, The Victorian Health Promotion Foundation (VicHealth), and Healthier Workplace Western Australia. For teams, the main feature of taking part in the trial (as distinct from using the program independently) was committing to the evaluation steps and receipt of expert health coaching support to deliver the program via email and phone calls. Trial teams were also followed up at 1-year after running the program. In the trial, we were interested in questions such as: What is the uptake of the program among workplaces and staff?…

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Reinforcing the Benefits of Moving More: The Journey of BeUpstanding

BeUpstanding Stories

We did it! We made a stand for our health. After two months of standing, moving, and embracing new habits, we’ve reached a significant milestone in the BeUpstanding program. But this is just the beginning of a journey toward happier and healthier lives. In weeks 6 and 8 of the program, the focus shifts to reinforcing the benefits of sitting less, celebrating our collective achievements, and setting the stage for lasting change. But what makes this part of the program so effective? Let’s explore how BeUpstanding, with its foundation in behaviour change theory, uses strategic messaging in weeks 6 and 8 to keep momentum strong and ensure sustained success. As discussed in our previous blog, BeUpstanding is grounded in robust behavioural change frameworks like the Behaviour Change Wheel (BCW), composed of the COM-B model, and the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF). These models help guide the design of the program, ensuring it addresses not just individual behaviours but the broader social and environmental contexts that influence those behaviours. Here’s how BeUpstanding uses theory to keep workers engaged towards the end of the program and in the future: Capability As we near the end of the program, it’s crucial to reflect on the progress…

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Push through the slump: how BeUpstanding’s evidence-based strategies keep you mooving

BeUpstanding Stories

Hit a Hump? Don’t Let It Slow You Down! We’ve reached the halfway point of the BeUpstanding program, a time when motivation often dips, and you may start to feel the natural slowdown in momentum. It’s completely normal to feel like you’re losing steam, but that doesn’t mean it’s time to stop! Weeks 4 and 7 are designed to keep things fresh and help you push through the mid-program hump by introducing new moves and strategies. But what makes these messages effective? It’s all down to the behavioural change theories that shape them, ensuring that the program is based on evidence and proven strategies to combat these hurdles. Let’s break down how this messaging works, using two key frameworks: the Capacity, Opportunity. Motivation (COM-B) model and the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF). These theories explain why we behave the way we do and how to change that behaviour.   Capability As we hit the mid-program stage, it’s crucial to focus on the ability to maintain momentum and avoid slipping back into old habits. One of the biggest challenges at this point is being aware of how often you’re sitting and standing. Messages like “Identify your danger zones” encourage workers to actively self-monitor their…

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Educate to Elevate: The Theory Behind BeUpstanding Weeks 2 and 5

BeUpstanding Stories

Feeling foggy? You’re not alone. When we sit for too long, our blood flow and metabolism slow down. This means less oxygen is supplied to our brain and we can feel fatigued and sluggish. So why not jump up and start feeling more focused and less tired? That’s exactly what the BeUpstanding intervention is all about, especially during weeks 2 and 5, where the focus is on education and empowerment. These crucial weeks centre around the risks of prolonged sitting and the benefits of standing and moving more. But this isn’t just about throwing facts at you—it’s about strategically targeting the barriers and facilitators of behaviour change, as recommended by the Behaviour Change Wheel (BCW). Let’s break down how this messaging works through the lens of the Capacity, Opportunity. Motivation (COM-B) model and the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF). These frameworks have been explored in more detail on our previous blog post. Capability Understanding the risks associated with sitting too much and the benefits of being more active is one of the biggest barriers for people to sit less and stand more. Weeks 2 and 5 of the BeUpstanding intervention address this by enhancing psychological capability, with a focus on the…

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Get Up and Get Moving: The Power of Good Theory in BeUpstanding Weeks 1 and 3

Key resources

We’re leaping into action! We’ve committed to BeUpstanding, and now it’s time to get moving! That’s the focus of weeks 1 and 3 in the BeUpstanding program—bringing the team together and taking action to make sitting less and standing more the new norm. Starting a new behaviour can be daunting—where do you begin? How do you overcome the discomfort of changing workplace habits? It’s perfectly normal to feel uncertain about trying something new. That’s why the first week of the BeUpstanding program emphasises togetherness and reinforces the group’s commitment. This focus continues into week 3, which highlights the importance of normalising the new behaviour to sustain long-term change. As previously explored, the BeUpstanding program was developed with the Behaviour Change Wheel (BCW) in mind. The program starts strong by addressing some of the most common barriers and facilitators of behaviour change, guided by the Capacity, Opportunity. Motivation (COM-B) model and the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) layers of the BCW. Capability Understanding the guidelines for standing time in the workplace is crucial at the start of the program. It’s a key facilitator of behaviour change, as many people are unaware of how long they should be standing, which poses a significant…

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How to motivate your team and keep them motivated

Latest evidence

You are the nominated Champion for your work’s BeUpstanding challenge. Congratulations! But, now you are wondering how to keep your team motivated to stick with it. How will your communications help your team feel driven to see out the challenge to the end? Fortunately, there’s more that you could consider in addition to the helpful resources, reminders and shout-outs at morning meetings. We’ve applied a theory that provides an effective way of supporting sustained motivation as a leader, and adapted the approach to best suit your role as a BeUpstanding Champion. Consider this – if you had all the money you needed to survive and be content for the rest of your life, would you still do some form of work? It wouldn’t be unreasonable to say “no”, if your primary reason for working was to earn an income to sustain your living. If you thought “yes”, what would be your reason for wanting to continue working, when the need to earn money or status is no longer a driving factor? Thanks to Self-Determination Theory (or SDT) co-founders, Richard Ryan and Edward Deci, we’re able to understand how different types of human motivation drives our behaviour. Ryan and Deci formulated…

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What our international teams are aiming to achieve with BeUpstanding

BeUpstanding Stories

Although BeUpstanding was initially designed to target Australian based workplaces, the program is available globally. To date, we have had over 160 teams from 35 countries outside of Australia sign up to the program. Most of the teams are from the United Kingdom and the United States, however, we also have teams from the Czech Republic, Malaysia and Switzerland taking part in our program. As part of the sign-up process, users are asked what they are aiming to achieve from the program. In previous blog articles (Part 1 & Part 2), we have examined what our Australian teams responded to this question. In this article, Bachelor of Health Sciences placement student Rou Jing Tham dives into the data from our international organisations. Data used and key findings: When users sign up to the BeUpstanding program, one of the questions that they were asked is ‘What are you hoping to achieve by your work team taking part in BeUpstanding?’ We explored the responses that we have received so far from our international teams and identified four main reasons: (1) to improve the working atmosphere; (2) to improve health and wellbeing; (3) to increase awareness; and, (4) to change the working environment.  Create…

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Why are Workplaces wanting to BeUpstanding? Part 1: Health and Behaviour

BeUpstanding Stories

The BeUpstanding program has just celebrated its 3rd birthday. Designed to support workers to sit less and move more for their health and wellbeing, the program has seen over 650 workplaces sign up and over 45,000 employees exposed to the sit less, move more messaging. But why do workplaces want to take part in BeUpstanding in the first place, or, more specifically, what do they aim to achieve by taking part? Now, thanks to the efforts of three UQ psychology students, we have been able to unpack just why work teams want to BeUpstanding. Their findings will be discussed in a series of blog articles. This first article examines health and behavioural aims and was written by Nicole Delmo, a UQ psychology honours student. So, what did we do? As part of the sign-up process for BeUpstanding, workplace champions are asked “What are you hoping to achieve by your work team taking part in BeUpstanding?”. This is an open text question, meaning that champions can write as much as they want in their response. We analysed 332 responses to this question using a process called ‘thematic analysis’. First, we independently identified the topics present in the responses and grouped them…

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National implementation trial of BeUpstanding – who is taking part?

BeUpstanding Stories

The BeUpstanding program is currently being evaluated in the context of a national implementation trial. With over 100 consents into the trial, we are seeing participation from across the country and across all our priority sectors: call centres, small business, regional/remote, blue collar and government. So what do we know about who is taking part so far? We have taken a quick peek at some of our data. Over 60% of teams so far in the trial are from large (200-1999 employees) or very large (2000+ employees) organisations. The majority of teams (85%) have some level of access to sit-stand workstations; however, only 12% have reported that all of the staff have a sit-stand workstation. Generally, champions report moderate (63%) or high (32%) stress levels in their team, while 65% report that their team has a moderate level of motivation to sit less. So far, the majority of champions taking part in the trial are female (74%). Most also have an occupational health and safety role within their organisation (69%) and have experience in delivering a health promotion program (61%). Champions taking part in the trial are a mix of employees (43%), middle management / team leader (40%) and senior…

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