Blob invasion : a health campaign to reduce sedentary behaviour amongst deskbound working adults in Singapore aged 18 - 29 years old

• Main Authors: Chua, Yiying, Foo, Jamie Rui Ting, Naland, Laura Kartika, Yap, Vivien Wei Qi
• Other Authors: Kang Hyunjin
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2018
• Subjects: DRNTU::Social sciences
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/73614
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Blob Invasion is one of Singapore’s first workplace health campaigns targeted specifically at reducing sedentary behaviour amongst deskbound working adults aged 18 to 29 years old. There is growing evidence pointing to frequent exercise as insufficient in preventing the contraction of chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and obesity. Our formative research suggested that reducing sedentary behaviour amongst deskbound working adults would help to prevent the contraction of such illnesses. Guided by the Protection Motivation Theory, this campaign sought to “empower young working adults to break up prolonged sitting” and reduce sedentary behaviour in the office. In collaboration with the National Healthcare Group, Blob Invasion was implemented in their corporate office; and made use of an illustrated character, Blob, to personify the problem and increase relatability. Blob served as a messenger for the consequences of sedentary behaviour and introduced three simple ways to break up prolonged sitting – stand, stretch, steps. The six-week long campaign educated employees on the issues of sedentary behaviour and provided opportunities for them to break up prolonged sitting throughout their day via events such as weekly challenges and a treasure hunt. The campaign saw promising results as scores for self-efficacy increased and a moderate number of people took more breaks from sitting throughout their work day. Insights gleaned also showed how a communication campaign executed in the workplace could be effective in creating sustained behaviour change for young adults in the workforce.