Abstract
BackgroundPsychological and environmental determinants have been discussed for promoting physical activity among workers. However, few studies have investigated effects of both workplace environment and psychological determinants on physical activity. It is also unknown which domains of physical activities are promoted by these determinants. This study aimed to investigate main and interaction effects of workplace environment and individual self-regulation for physical activity on domain-specific physical activities among white-collar workers.MethodsA multi-site longitudinal study was conducted at baseline and about 5-month follow-up. A total of 49 worksites and employees within the worksites were recruited. Inclusion criteria for the worksites (a) were located in the Kanto area, Japan and (b) employed two or more employees. Employee inclusion criteria were (a) employed by the worksites, (b) aged 18 years or older, and (c) white-collar workers. For outcomes, three domain-specific physical activities (occupational, transport-related, and leisure-time) at baseline and follow-up were measured. For independent variables, self-regulation for physical activity, workplace environments (parking/bike, signs/bulletin boards/advertisements, stairs/elevators, physical activity/fitness facilities, work rules, written policies, and health promotion programs), and covariates at baseline were measured. Hierarchical Linear Modeling was conducted to investigate multilevel associations.ResultsOf the recruited worksites, 23 worksites and 562 employees, and 22 worksites and 459 employees completed the baseline and the follow-up surveys. As results of Hierarchical Linear Modeling, stairs/elevator (γ=3.80 [SE=1.80], p<0.05), physical activity/fitness facilities (γ=4.98 [SE=1.09], p<0.01), and written policies (γ=2.10 [SE=1.02], p<0.05) were significantly and positively associated with occupational physical activity. Self-regulation for physical activity was associated significantly with leisure-time physical activity (γ=0.09 [SE=0.04], p<0.05) but insignificantly with occupational and transport-related physical activity (γ=0.11 [SE=0.16] and γ=−0.00 [SE=0.06]). Significant interaction effects of workplace environments (physical activity/fitness facilities, work rules, and written policies) and self-regulation were observed on transport-related and leisure-time physical activity.ConclusionsWorkplace environments such as physical activity/fitness facilities, written policies, work rules, and signs for stair use at stairs and elevators; self-regulation for physical activity; and their interactions may be effective to promote three domain-specific physical activities. This study has practical implications for designing multi-component interventions that include both environmental and psychological approaches to increase effect sizes to promote overall physical activity.
Highlights
Psychological and environmental determinants have been discussed for promoting physical activity among workers
The need for promotion of physical activity had been strongly recognized among workers since rapid changes to the modern labor market have resulted in a large increase of workers engaged in sedentary behavior and low-activity occupations [1]
Significant associations between physical activity and work-related outcomes have repeatedly been reported, such as well-being and presenteeism [4], absenteeism, job stress, employee turnover [5], and work ability [6]. These findings indicate that promoting workers’ physical activity is indispensable for occupational health promotion and a sustainable workforce
Summary
Psychological and environmental determinants have been discussed for promoting physical activity among workers. Few studies have investigated effects of both workplace environment and psychological determinants on physical activity. Significant associations between physical activity and work-related outcomes have repeatedly been reported, such as well-being and presenteeism [4], absenteeism, job stress, employee turnover [5], and work ability [6] These findings indicate that promoting workers’ physical activity is indispensable for occupational health promotion and a sustainable workforce. A workplace environment for promoting physical activity typically includes organising assessments/ counseling/educations, informational support (e.g., posters/flyers/bulletin boards/maps), organisational policy, internal physical environment (e.g., physical activity equipment/stairs/lockers/showers/office connectivity), co-workers’ social support, and external environment (e.g., walkability/parking/active commuting/physical activity facilities outside the workplace) [15,16,17] These environments might be effective for promoting physical activities during work and activities out of work (e.g., transport-related and leisure-time). Workplace environment is an important determinant for physical activity among workers
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