Sound Steps Walking Program is a volunteer supported walking program offered through Seattle Parks and Recreation’s Senior Adult Programs. The program is designed to get senior adults moving and to be socially engaged while gaining the health benefits of regular exercise. Participants in this free, year-round program are connected to other walkers based on their fitness-level and walkers are provided tools to measure their progress.
The purpose of Sound Steps is to improve the health and wellness of people age 50 and better throughout the Greater Seattle area by establishing a community-based walking program designed to encourage physical activity and social interaction. There are no physical requirements for members.
Sound Steps currently supports 28 walking groups, each with its own team leader. Team leaders, trained by Sound Steps staff, take attendance for the group, call members if they are absent, create walking routes, and encourage members to stay involved.
The project is funded by Steps to a Healthier US, a federal grant funded through the Center for Disease Control, focusing on reducing risk factors that lead to diabetes and obesity. The program is administered by the Seattle-King County
Health Department.
The program is advertised in the Senior Adult Programs brochures of Seattle Parks & Recreation. This brochure includes a list of all the walking groups affiliated with Sound Steps. Sound Steps brochures are also available in physician offices throughout the area. The program also recruits members by putting up flyers, recruiting individuals directly, and reaching out at churches, senior centers, and senior housing facilities.
Most walks start and end at a mall, park, church, school or community center. In case of inclement weather, walks may be canceled or held inside (i.e. shopping malls, community centers, or in one case, an airplane hangar.) Group walks take place once a week, though some walking groups meet more frequently. Members are also encouraged to walk on their own as much as possible.
Participants in Sound Steps measure results with a pedometer awarded to them upon their successful completion of five walks. Participants record the number of steps for a set time in a “Walking Log,” also provided by Sound Steps. Team leaders encourage walkers to increase their number of steps each week.
Results
In order to get feedback on the program, Sound Steps gives each participating member a Rapid Assessment of Physical Activities (RAPA). This survey is administered at the start of the program and again three months later. Sound Steps reviews the surveys to evaluate walking members’ status.
Strengths
There is no cost to the program’s participants. The program focuses on ethnic, refugee and immigrant groups and the under-served, particularly those who are sedentary. There are walking groups for many diverse groups including Hispanic, Laotian and Vietnamese. The flexibility of the program and the use of bilingual leaders are necessary for successful outreach to these communities.
Innovative Ideas
“Sound Steps Hikes” take place once a month. These hikes bring seniors out of Seattle and into different Washington state parks. Seniors enjoy the change of scenery and fresh air. Transportation is handled by staff and volunteers driving city vans.
Intergenerational programs are encouraged and developed in a ‘natural’ manner. Elementary schools are invited to bring their students on a walk with a senior group. Plans are being made to have seniors meet students at a designated location and walk with them to school–the Walking School Bus program. This type of activity promotes a common physical fitness goal and allows students to learn about different cultures.
Incentive programs such as “Sound Steps Bingo” keep seniors motivated. Winners of Sound Steps Bingo receive pedometers, Sound Steps T-shirts, and other fun prizes.
Lessons Learned
When developing programs in a diverse, metropolitan area, it is important that programs are accessible to people of different ethnic, skill levels and language backgrounds. When establishing a program similar to Sound Steps in a diverse neighborhood, it is important to have translated informational materials and other methods of communication.
Implementation Steps
The Seattle King County Health Department report states that this program is flexible enough to adapt to different cities.
Walking maps that show different levels of difficulty, safety concerns, and distances are a good tool. Sound Steps contracted with a nonprofit organization called Feet First that specializes in mapping to create 10 walking maps showing routes that would interest senior walkers.
Once a committed group of seniors begins walking regularly the program will grow in numbers, the type of walking routes will vary and it will get attention from more community partners.
Contact Information
Program Coordinator
206-684-4664
Email: sound.steps@seattle.gov
