Evidence map›Paper›PMID 17540909›Full record

SynthesisBMJ (Clinical research ed.)2007

Interventions to promote walking: systematic review.

David Ogilvie, Charles E Foster, Helen Rothnie, Nick Cavill, Val Hamilton, Claire F Fitzsimons, Nanette Mutrie, Scottish Physical Activity Research Collaboration

Open access · bronzeAbstract readSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in BMJ (Clinical research ed.), 2007. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 250 papers, 30 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
250citing papers in PubMed, 30 pooled it
18.1field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

250 citing papers in PubMed, 30 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 699 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. The impact of public policy on socioeconomic equity in physical activity: a systematic review.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2026
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  7. Workplace pedometer interventions for increasing physical activity.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2020
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  10. Workplace interventions for reducing sitting at work.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2018
    Pooled it
  11. Systematic Review of Physical Activity Interventions in Hispanic Adults.Hispanic health care international : the official journal of the National Association of Hispanic Nurses · 2018
    Pooled it
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  15. Workplace interventions for reducing sitting at work.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2018
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  18. The neighbourhood physical environment and active travel in older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2017
    Pooled it
  19. Understanding the Influence of Environment on Adults' Walking Experiences: A Meta-Synthesis Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2016
    Pooled it
  20. Pooled it

190 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 5 institutions in 1 country.

David OgilvieMedical Research Council Social and Public Health Sciences Unit, Glasgow G12 8RZ.
Charles E Foster
Helen Rothnie
Nick Cavill
Val Hamilton
Claire F Fitzsimons
Nanette Mutrie
Scottish Physical Activity Research Collaboration
University of Strathclyde · GBBritish Heart Foundation · GBEducation Scotland · GBMedical Research Council · GBUniversity of Oxford · GB

Funding

Chief Scientist Office SPHSU1Medical Research Council MC_U106179474Medical Research Council MC_U130059812
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveTo assess the effects of interventions to promote walking in individuals and populations.

designSystematic review. DATA SOURCES: Published and unpublished reports in any language identified by searching 25 electronic databases, by searching websites, reference lists, and existing systematic reviews, and by contacting experts. REVIEW

methodsSystematic search for and appraisal of controlled before and after studies of the effects of any type of intervention on how much people walk, the distribution of effects on walking between social groups, and any associated effects on overall physical activity, fitness, risk factors for disease, health, and wellbeing.

resultsWe included 19 randomised controlled trials and 29 non-randomised controlled studies. Interventions tailored to people's needs, targeted at the most sedentary or at those most motivated to change, and delivered either at the level of the individual (brief advice, supported use of pedometers, telecommunications) or household (individualised marketing) or through groups, can encourage people to walk more, although the sustainability, generalisability, and clinical benefits of many of these approaches are uncertain. Evidence for the effectiveness of interventions applied to workplaces, schools, communities, or areas typically depends on isolated studies or subgroup analysis.

conclusionsThe most successful interventions could increase walking among targeted participants by up to 30-60 minutes a week on average, at least in the short term. From a perspective of improving population health, much of the research currently provides evidence of efficacy rather than effectiveness. Nevertheless, interventions to promote walking could contribute substantially towards increasing the activity levels of the most sedentary.

Indexed as

WalkingCommunity Health ServicesCounselingExerciseHealth PolicyHealth PromotionHealth StatusHumansRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicTravel

Identifiers

PMID17540909
PMCPMC1889976
OpenAlexW2137697050

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.