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Published on: March 7, 2019
Office workers' objectively measured sedentary behavior and physical activity during and outside working hours
Stacy A Clemes1, Sophie E O'Connell, Charlotte L Edwardson
1From the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences (Dr Clemes), Loughborough University, Loughborough, Leicestershire, United Kingdom; MoveLab (Dr O'Connell); Physical Activity and Exercise Research, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom; and Diabetes Research Centre (Dr Edwardson), University of Leicester, Leicester General Hospital, Leicester, Leicestershire, United Kingdom.
Office workers spend more time sedentary and less time in light physical activity (PA) on workdays compared to nonworkdays. Sedentary behavior at work is not compensated for outside of work hours.
Area of Science:
- Occupational Health
- Behavioral Science
- Public Health
Background:
- Sedentary behavior is prevalent in office environments.
- Understanding physical activity patterns during and outside work is crucial for health interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To objectively measure sedentary behavior and physical activity (PA) in full-time office workers.
- To compare PA and sedentary time during workdays versus nonworkdays.
Main Methods:
- 170 participants wore accelerometers for 7 days.
- Sedentary time (<100 counts/min) and light-intensity PA (100–1951 counts/min) were calculated.
- Data analyzed for workdays and nonworkdays.
Main Results:
- Workdays showed significantly higher sedentary behavior (68% vs 60%) and lower light-intensity PA (28% vs 36%) than nonworkdays.
- Up to 71% of working hours were spent sedentary.
- High sedentary behavior at work correlated with high sedentary behavior outside work.
Conclusions:
- Office workers do not increase physical activity or decrease sedentary time outside of work to compensate for sedentary workdays.
- Interventions should target both workplace and leisure-time sedentary behaviors.
