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Updated: Jun 6, 2026
Visualization of Intensity Levels to Reduce the Gap Between Self-Reported and Directly Measured Physical Activity
Published on: March 7, 2019
Physical activity levels by occupational category in non-metropolitan Australian adults
Mitch J Duncan1, Hannah M Badland, William Kerry Mummery
1Centre for Physical Activity Studies, Institute for Health and Social Science Research, CQUniversity, Rockhampton, Australia.
Background:
The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between occupational category and 3 health-related behaviors: participation in leisure-time physical activity, active transport (AT) and occupational sitting in a sample of employed Australian adults.
Methods:
A random, cross-sectional sample of 592 adults aged 18 to 71 years completed a telephone survey in October/November 2006. Reported occupations were categorized as professional (n = 332, 56.1%), white-collar (n = 181, 30.6%), and blue-collar (n = 79, 13.3%). Relationships between occupational category and AT, sufficient physical activity and occupational sitting were examined using logistic regression.
Results:
White-collar employees (OR = 0.36, 95% CI 0.14-0.95) were less likely to engage in AT and more likely to engage in occupational sitting (OR = 3.10, 95% CI 1.63-5.92) when compared with blue-collar workers. Professionals (OR = 3.04, 95% CI 1.94-4.76) were also more likely to engage in occupational sitting compared with blue-collar workers. No relationship was observed between occupational category and engagement in sufficient physical activity.
Conclusions:
No association between occupational category and sufficient physical activity levels was observed, although white-collar and professionals were likely to engage in high levels of occupational sitting. Innovative and sustainable strategies are required to reduce occupational sitting to improve health.
