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Does accelerometer-measured physical activity and sedentary time differ between manual, in-office, hybrid and remote
Tuija Leskinen1,2, Kristin Suorsa3,2, Jesse Pasanen3,2
1Department of Public Health, University of Turku, Turku, Finland tuija.leskinen@utu.fi.
Occupational and Environmental Medicine
|June 25, 2025
Summary
Remote work correlates with the least physical activity and most sedentary time compared to manual, in-office, and hybrid work. Strategies are needed to boost physical activity for remote workers.
Area of Science:
- Occupational Health
- Physical Activity Research
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Limited research exists on accelerometer-measured physical activity in hybrid and remote workers.
- Understanding physical activity and sedentary behavior across different work modes is crucial for public health.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare daily occupational and non-occupational physical activity and sedentary time among manual, in-office, hybrid, and remote workers.
- To examine differences in physical activity during remote versus office workdays for hybrid workers.
Main Methods:
- 133 Finnish workers (manual, in-office, hybrid, remote) wore wrist accelerometers for ≥4 days.
- Generalized linear models analyzed differences between work mode groups.
- Linear mixed models assessed intra-individual differences in hybrid workers.
Main Results:
- Significant differences in occupational physical activity and sedentary time were found across work modes (p<0.0001).
- Manual workers had the highest occupational physical activity; hybrid and remote workers had the highest occupational sedentary time.
- Hybrid workers showed a trend towards higher occupational sedentary time on remote workdays, with no differences in non-occupational behaviors.
Conclusions:
- Remote work is linked to lower physical activity and higher sedentary time compared to other work arrangements.
- Interventions promoting physical activity during remote workdays may be necessary.
