Desk Potatoes: The Importance of Occupational Physical Activity on Health

Abstract

Objectives: To determine the relationship between occupational physical activity (OPA) and chronic disease after controlling for leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) and other risk factors.Methods: Using cycle 2.1 of the Canadian Community Health Survey, OPA energy expenditure was derived. The association of OPA with any self-reported chronic disease, heart disease or diabetes was determined using logistic regression while controlling for confounders. The analyses of OPA controlled for age, sex, ethnicity, BMI, smoking status, time since immigration, income, education and LTPA.Results: High OPA was associated with reduced odds of having any chronic disease (OR=0.89) independent of LTPA status. Similar significant associations were also observed for heart disease (OR=0.61) and diabetes (OR=0.72). Conclusion:High OPA is associated with reduced odds of chronic disease independent of LTPA. Accordingly, it is important that physical activity questionnaires carefully assess OPA in addition to LTPA.

Farming Activities and Carrying and Lifting: The Agricultural Health Study

“…Nonetheless, our findings for carrying and lifting are consistent with observations from other populations. Older farmers and spouses were less likely to report carrying and lifting ≥1 hour per day, consistent with lower PA among older people 11, 26. Also, less education was associated with higher levels of carrying and lifting, which was reported in previous studies examining PA and education 11, 26.…”

“…Greater occupational PA has been associated with lower rates of cancer,2 chronic disease,10 cardiovascular disease,11 cardiovascular mortality,12 stroke,13 and diabetes 14. The relationship between occupational PA and body mass index has been inconsistent.…”

The Association Between Meeting Physical Activity Guidelines and Chronic Diseases Among Canadian Adults

“…Another recent Canadian study using data from the 2003 CCHS did not report a decreased odds of heart disease or diabetes among adults (18-64 yrs) classified as moderately active (LTEE 1.5-2.99 kkd or 630 met•min•wk -1 ) compared with sedentary adults; however, this study did report a decreased odds of heart disease among those classified as active (LTEE ≥ 3.0 kkd or 1260 met•min•wk -1 ). 26 These studies differed in the fact that the current study only assessed those with type 2 diabetes rather than including all types of diabetes (eg, type 1 and gestational) in the analysis and the study by Probert et al 26 controlled for energy expenditure from occupational physical activity. Research on the association of total daily energy expenditure (including energy expenditure from all domains of activity) is required to better understand the relationship between daily energy expenditure and chronic diseases.…”

“…A recent Canadian study showed that higher levels of estimated occupational physical activity were associated with lower odds of chronic disease, in a dose response fashion, independent of level of leisure-time physical activity, highlighting the importance of quantifying the energy expenditure from work activities, as well as from leisure activities. 26 As the CCHS uses a self-reported questionnaire, estimates of LTEE are limited by reporting biases related to social desirability, difficulties in accurately reporting physical activity behavior, and difficulties recalling the duration and frequency of physical activities over a long time period. 33 In addition, some assumptions related to intensity, duration, and frequency had to be made when estimating LTEE.…”

Physical Activity Matters: Associations Among Body Mass Index, Physical Activity, and Health-Related Quality of Life Trajectories Over 10 Years

“…These four categories were used in a number of previous studies that employed data on LTPA collected by Statistics Canada (5–7). For individuals who died during follow-up, LTPA at their final observation was set to be equal to their LTPA at their last interview.…”