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Insights on physical behavior while working from home: An ecological momentary assessment study
Svenja Sers1, Irina Timm1, Elisabeth A de Vries2,3
1Institute of Sports and Sports Science, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Karlsruhe, Germany.
Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports
|July 11, 2023
Summary
Working from home (WFH) reduces moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and steps but increases short activity breaks. Sedentary behavior remained unaffected. Tailored WFH strategies are needed to boost MVPA.
Area of Science:
- Occupational Health
- Behavioral Science
- Public Health
Background:
- The rise of working from home (WFH) post-pandemic necessitates understanding its impact on daily physical behavior (PB).
- Previous research has not clearly defined the associations between WFH and physical activity (PA) or sedentary behavior (SB).
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the daily relationship between work environment (WFH vs. working at the office - WAO) and physical behavior (PB).
- To identify distinct patterns of PB within WFH and WAO settings using latent class trajectory modeling.
Main Methods:
- An observational study utilized dual-accelerometers to assess PB over at least 5 days for 55 participants (276 days total).
- Multilevel analyses examined work environment effects on PB, while latent class trajectory modeling identified PB patterns.
- Demographic, contextual, and psychological data were collected via questionnaires and smartphone prompts.
Main Results:
- Working from home negatively impacted moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) time, step count, and physical activity intensity (METs).
- WFH positively influenced the frequency of short physical activity bouts (≤5 minutes).
- No significant associations were found between the work environment and sedentary behavior (SB) parameters (time, breaks, bouts).
Conclusions:
- WFH is associated with reduced MVPA and steps, highlighting a need for interventions to promote physical activity in remote work settings.
- Distinct patterns of MVPA exist for WFH and WAO days, suggesting environment-specific behavioral strategies.
- Developing daily-tailored solutions to enhance MVPA during WFH is crucial given its increasing prevalence and health benefits.
