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Relationship between physical activity, daily step count, and posture in office workers and examination of DIERS
Gulsemin Erturk Celik1, Abdurrahman Iskender2, Serife Coskun Sagirkaya3
1Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Specialist, Republic of Turkey Ministry of Youth and Sports, Ankara, Turkiye.
Objective:
The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between physical activity level daily step count, and posture in office workers, and to investigate the associations of these variables with static plantar load distribution percentages across foot subregions.
Methods:
This cross-sectional study was conducted among office workers. Posture was evaluated using the New York Posture Rating Scale (NYPRS) by a single rater. Self-reported physical activity level was assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire - Short Form (IPAQ-SF). Daily step counts were derived from pedometer records as the 7 day average and were collected via screenshots, application logs, or manual logs. Plantar static load distribution was measured using the DIERS pedoscan under barefoot conditions with a 20 second, 3 trial protocol. Normality was assessed using the Shapiro-Wilk test in conjunction with skewness and kurtosis values, and interpretation was guided by the ranges recommended by Tabachnick and Fidell.
Results:
A total of 39 office workers participated, with a mean age of 39.21±7.99 years and a mean body mass index (BMI) of 25.68±3.39 kg/m2. Posture scores (NYPRS) were generally high, with the majority of participants classified in the "good" to "very good" category. There was a significant positive correlation between daily step count and NYPRS score (r=0.360, p=0.024). A significant positive association was also found between IPAQ and NYPRS (r=0.364, p=0.023). IPAQ and daily step count were moderately and significantly correlated (r=0.549, p<0.001). No statistically significant relationships were detected between static plantar load distribution percentages across foot subregions measured using the DIERS pedoscan system and NYPRS, IPAQ, daily step count, or BMI (all p>0.05).
Conclusion:
In this sample, both daily step count and physical activity level assessed by IPAQ were positively associated with NYPRS posture scores. In contrast, DIERS pedoscan static regional load distribution parameters were not related to posture or activity indicators. These findings suggest that interventions aimed at increasing physical activity in office workers may be linked to posture, whereas static load distribution measurements may be limited in explaining these relationships.
