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The relationship between occupational physical activity and self-reported vs measured total physical activity
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

The relationship between occupational physical activity and self-reported vs measured total physical activity

Unnur Gudnadottir, Lisa Cadmus-Bertram, Alexandra Spicer, Jess Gorzelitz and Kristen Malecki
Preventive medicine reports, Vol.15, pp.100908-100908
09/01/2019
DOI: 10.1016/j.pmedr.2019.100908
PMCID: PMC6598033
PMID: 31297308
url
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmedr.2019.100908View
Published (Version of record) Open Access

Abstract

Introduction: Despite the well-established benefits of physical activity (PA), a large portion of U.S. adults are not meeting recommended health-based guidelines. Although PA occurs in several domains, population-based studies tend to focus on leisure-time PA, with few studies examining occupational activity (OA) level as a separate determinant of overall PA. Methods: Data were obtained from the 2014-2016 Survey of Health of Wisconsin (SHOW). Currently employed SHOW participants (n = 822) were categorized into OA level categories. Bivariate analyses and multinomial logistic regression analyses were used to identify predictors and to test associations between OA and odds of meeting total PA guidelines using both self-reported and accelerometer-based data. Results: Individuals with high OA level jobs tended to be males (p < 0.01), current smokers (p < 0.01), and have low education (p < 0.01). When measured by self-report, a greater proportion of individuals in high OA jobs (89%) met the physical activity guidelines compared to those in medium (78%) and low (76%) OA jobs (p = 0.01). Further, adjusted odds of doing some PA vs meeting PA guidelines were higher for low OA vs. high OA level (OR = 2.40, 95% CI 1.46-3.94, p < 0.01). This trend was not observed when PA was measured via accelerometer (OR = 1.00, 95% CI 0.62-1.60, p = 0.99). Conclusions: Correlations between low, intermediate, and high OA and levels of overall PA varied by measurement type. Further research is needed to improve PA measurements within subdomains such as OA and to examine the tradeoffs between OA and leisure-time PA and relationships with health.
Life Sciences & Biomedicine Public, Environmental & Occupational Health Science & Technology

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