Incentivized walking improves chronic disease indicators: a short-term field intervention among an occupational population in Southeast China

Purpose This study aimed to evaluate the effect of a short-term incentivized walking intervention on chronic disease indicators in an occupational cohort, thereby exploring effective strategies for chronic disease prevention and control. Methods In a 100-day supervised walking intervention, a cohort of occupational participants was motivated by an individual- and team-based incentive system, with step counts tracked by a uniform pedometer. Key anthropometric measures (height, weight, waist and hip circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, and body fat percentage) were collected at baseline and the study endpoint. Data analysis was performed using SPSS 26.0. Results All participants successfully completed the 100-day scientific walking intervention, with 936 (64.2%) achieving perfect adherence to the daily 10,000-step goal. The final assessment showed that all eight chronic disease-related indicators (systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, body weight, BMI, waist circumference, hip circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, and body fat percentage) improved in both male and female participants., with reductions in systolic blood pressure (2.47 mmHg), diastolic blood pressure (4.23 mmHg), body weight (1.60 kg), BMI (0.57 kg/m 2 ), waist circumference (1.33 cm), hip circumference (0.86 cm), waist-to-hip ratio (0.01), and body fat percentage (0.01%). Furthermore, a dose-dependent relationship was observed, wherein greater walking intensity led to more pronounced improvements across all metrics. Conclusion The short-term scientific walking intervention was associated with significant improvements in multiple physical indicators, including systolic and diastolic blood pressure, waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, BMI, and body fat percentage. Reductions in BMI and waist circumference were particularly notable. These findings may help inform workplace health strategies for reducing non-communicable disease (NCD) risk, though further controlled studies are necessary to establish causal relationships.