Walking Works Wonders, a Loughborough University project, is currently building itself up to selling its services to companies across the UK. Funded by Loughborough University Enterprise Projects Group, the team are aiming to commercialise their tailored programme to increase physical activity.
Based on research by Cheryl Haslam, director at Loughborough’s Work and Health Research Centre, the project’s goal is to bring an end to the sedentary lifestyle, associated with various chronic health issues.
Working Works Wonders is part of Working Late, a wider research initiative trying to understand the negative effects of working longer before taking a pension, and countering these issues.
To brand Walking Works Wonders’ commercialisation, the university is reaching out to its students to design a visual identity. The selected student will win £500 ($835) and a paid internship with the team.
Cheryl Haslam, principal investigator at Working Late, said: “This approach to behaviour change has been tried and tested as part of several highly acclaimed research projects including the recent Working Late project where the Walking Works Wonders intervention was shown to be effective in reducing BMI and sickness absence, increasing productivity and improving health and quality of working life and offer a return on investment of up to £32 ($53.50) for each £1 ($1.67) spent on the intervention.”
