Comparison of Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior between Work in Office and Work From Home: A Self-controlled Study
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Published on: March 7, 2019
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.
