Have you ever wondered how the Step Count Challenge actually benefits you and your health? We have! That’s why Paths for All have teamed up with researchers from the University of St Andrews and University of Stirling to try and find out the answer to this question. We’ve worked hard over the last 4 years to answer this, but we’ll need your help to take this further! 

The best way to understand these impacts is to get as many responses as we can from as many Step Count Challenge participants as possible, so we’re asking for your help. Throughout the NHS Grampian’s Step Count Challenge 2025 we’ll be running a simple study, asking you to complete two short tasks (one on Mental Wellbeing, and one on Physical Fitness), each on a number of occasions, so that we can monitor how participation is impacting elements of your health! 

 

What is this study about and who is running it?  

This study is about how participation in the Step Count Challenge impacts people’s health and wellbeing. It's being conducted by researchers at the University of St Andrews and University of Stirling in collaboration with Paths for All, and carries on from the work we ran alongside NHS Grampians 2024 Challenge too!    

 

Do I have to take part?  

No - it's completely up to you to decide. This information is to help you decide if you would like to take part. Eligibility does not rely on participation in last year’s research - as long as you’re 18 or over, and work at NHS Grampians then you can take part! You are welcome to choose to participate in both the Mental Wellbeing and Physical Fitness components of the study or just one of the two, should you choose to participate at all. This year we are also looking to compare scores to last year’s, linking data through the pseudonymised code attached to your Step Count Challenge profile. However, should you wish that we do NOT do this, you have the choice to opt out of this step without judgement. 

 

How long does it take to complete?    

Each task should take no more than 5 minutes, but repeated a number of times. You will be asked you to complete a physical task twice during the challenge, and the mental wellbeing scale three times (fortnightly throughout). 

 

What does it involve?  

The first component of the research is about physical fitness, and requires you to stand on the spot and march as quickly as you can for two minutes, raising your knees to almost hip height, counting the number of times that your right foot touches the floor as a way of scoring. Secondly, for the mental wellbeing component, we will ask you to complete the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (Short) - a questionnaire consisting of 7 statements, rating each one from 1-5 based on how you feel. 

 

Will my participation be confidential and anonymous? 

Yes. Your participation will only be known to yourself and those at Paths for All. To participate you will have to be logged into your Step Count Challenge account, but the researchers will not have access to your name or contact information. Your responses will be pseudonymised by Paths for All before the researchers receive the data listed below, so it would be impossible by any simple means for us to link responses to specific individuals. 

 

What data will you collect from me, and why?    

The research team will be recording and receiving the following data: 

Your reported Step Counts 

Your Age Category and Gender 

Your Job Role Category 

Your estimated time spent working on a computer during the working day 

Your estimated Pre-Challenge activity level answers 

Your Mental Wellbeing Scale results 

Your Physical Fitness Test results 

Your SCC Account Unique Identifier Code 

  

These will be used to help answer our research questions, by looking at how engagement with the Step Count Challenge and number of steps taken has a relationship with health and wellbeing. All data is pseudonymised before the research team receive it, and therefore no identifiable information is attached to your responses. The numerical pseudonym codes attached to your data allow us to ensure that all responses can be matched throughout your participation, and if you allow us permission, this will also enable us to link your 2024 data too. 

 

How will my data be securely stored, who will have access to it? 

Paths for All and collaborators at TayFusion will provide the research team with a pseudonymised dataset consisting of the information listed above, which will be stored in secure university servers only accessible to the research team. A pseudonymised dataset will be kept indefinitely on University servers, and an anonymised version may be placed in a publicly accessible research data depository, allowing other researchers access to this anonymised dataset. 

 

Can I withdraw my data?  

All participants are free to withdraw at any time by not completing any further tasks, and if you wish to remove any data provided until that point, you can request this action by getting in touch with Paths for All by email at walkatwork@pathsforall.org.uk, before midday on 02/03/2025. This will be the final point for withdrawal. 

 

Are there any risks?  

The physical fitness component of this research will require two minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. Please only participate in this element of the research if you are comfortable with that, and remember you can stop at any stage and withdraw from that element of the study. The other component of the study is mental wellbeing. Using a scale, we will ask you to think about aspects of your own mental wellbeing, which you may feel incite negative memories, thoughts or feelings. Again, you can withdraw at any stage if you feel uncomfortable without providing a reason. This research has been approved by the University of St Andrews School of Psychology and Neuroscience Ethics Committee (Approval Code: PS15433). 

 

What should I do if I have concerns about this study?    

In the first instance you are encouraged to raise your concerns with the researcher and if you do not feel comfortable doing so, then you should contact Paths for All at walkatwork@pathsforall.org.uk. A full outline of the procedures governed by the University Teaching and Research Ethics Committee is available at http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/utrec/Guidelines/complaints/ 

 

Contact details  

Dr Samuel Warne 

sw290@st-andrews.ac.uk 

Sarah Turner / Carl Greenwood 

walkatwork@pathsforall.org.uk