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Updated: Jun 29, 2025
Visualization of Intensity Levels to Reduce the Gap Between Self-Reported and Directly Measured Physical Activity
Published on: March 7, 2019
Comparison of Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior between Work in Office and Work From Home: A Self-controlled
Ryo Tomonaga1, Yuya Watanabe, Ying Jiang
1From the Department of Health Development, Institute of Industrial Ecological Sciences, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Japan, Kitakyusyu, Japan (R.T., Y.J., H.Y.); and Hitachi, Ltd, Hitachi Health Care Center, Hitachi, Japan (Y.W., T.N.).
Objective:
To compare physical activity levels and sedentary behavior between individuals working in the office and those working from home, with the aim of elucidating the potential implications on employees' health.
Methods:
We used triaxial accelerometers to assess the physical activity levels of 94 white-collar employees from a large-scale manufacturing company in Japan. They were instructed to wear the accelerometers during their working hours, which included the commuting time on work-in-office days.
Results:
The mean energy expenditure on work in office was 426 kcal for individuals, while it was 228 kcal on work from home (P < 0.01). In addition, not including commuting, the time spent sedentary on work-from-home days was higher than that on work-in-office days by 20 minutes.
Conclusions:
Work from home decreases physical activity and increases sedentary time compared with work in office.
