According to the 2017 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), 32.7% of people in Virginia reported walking during the month prior to the survey. Virginia 2017 BRFSS data also showed that 25% of Virginians reported having some form of arthritis, with 49% of those individuals reporting limitations and 65.7% of those with arthritis having their work affected. Therefore, in addition to increasing physical activity for healthy adults, a walking program could benefit those employees living with arthritic conditions. Because walking is easiest when it is built into everyday activities and locations where people spend their time such as worksites, the VDH Arthritis Program decided to promote the evidence-based Arthritis Foundation Walk with Ease (WWE) Program. The challenge was to design and pilot a WWE program for 4,000 health department employees working in the state central office and 35 local health districts spread across 136 cities and counties in the Commonwealth.
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