Differences in health-related indicators by leisure time vs incidental physical activity in adults

BackgroundSeveral studies have demonstrated a positive association between physical activity (PA) and health-related quality of life (HRQL). However, studies have suggested that this association depends both on the PA intensity and the domain of HRQL evaluated. This study aimed to explore the association between physical, mental and overall HRQL with recommended levels of PA. PA levels were divided into moderate and vigorous intensity leisure-time PA and total leisure-time PA.MethodsThe study included 1001 adults, 582 women (46 ± 17 years) and 419 men (43 ± 16 years), residents in Rio Claro-SP, Brazil. All participants completed the SF-36 questionnaire to assess HRQL and the long version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) to assess level and intensities of leisure-time PA. Total leisure-time PA at moderate intensity was classified as: less than 9 min/week, 10-149 min/week, 150-299 min/week and 300 min/week or more. Total leisure-time PA at vigorous intensity was classified as: less than 9 min/week, 10 to 74.9 min/week, 75-149 min/week and 150 min/week or more. Multiple linear regression was performed in STATA version 12.0.ResultsAmong women, moderate intensity and total leisure-time PA were associated with physical health. Among men, moderate and vigorous intensity and total leisure-time PA were associated with physical health and overall HRQL. Furthermore, moderate intensity and total leisure-time PA were associated with mental health in men. However, vigorous intensity PA was not associated with mental health for this group.ConclusionThe different domains of HRQL were associated with different levels and intensities of PA in leisure-time according to gender of adults. These findings indicate the complexity and importance of evaluating the HRQL stratified by gender and consider the different levels and intensities of PA.

BackgroundOccupational physical activity (OPA) may not report the same health benefits as leisure time physical activity (LTPA). While LTPA is beneficial for all workers, OPA can be detrimental for health. Most importantly, LTPA might have different health effects for different occupational groups (low versus high OPA jobs). It is also unclear the influence LTPA or leisure time sedentary behaviour (LTSB) might have on the health, wellbeing and productivity of workers with high OPA jobs. This project will (i) study the free-living patterns of (occupational and leisure time) physical activity (PA) and sedentary behaviour (SB) in workers from the manufacturing industry. Then, we will (ii) investigate associations between free-living patterns of PA and SB with mental health, happiness, absenteeism and work-related injuries of manufacturer workers.MethodsCross-sectional study. Employers and occupational risk prevention services will randomly invite workers (aged 18 to 65) from manufacturing industries of micro, small and medium enterprises in Central Catalonia to participate (n = 220). Participants will wear an ActivPAL device for 7 days and will complete a questionnaire on general health, life balance between work and family life, mental well-being, mental health, work-related happiness and absenteeism.Variables(1) physical activity pattern (activPAL3TM), (2) demographic data and lifestyles (food, tobacco and alcohol habits (ESCA 2022), (3) impact of work on employees' health, absence for illness (5th and 6th European Survey of Working Conditions), (4) well-being (Health Questionnaire, SF-36), (5) Work Health Balance (WHB Questionnaire), (6) Mental Health (Patient Health Questionnaire, PHQ-9), (7) Happiness (Pemberton Happiness Index). The group will be analysed on the average value of the variables.DiscussionIdentifying the free-living patterns of physical activity and sedentary behaviour of workers with high OPA and its associations with health, will provide preliminary data to develop tailored PA (occupational and non-occupational) interventions to this occupational group.Support / Funding SourceGrants for the recruitment of research staff (Agency for the Management of University and Research Grants, co-financed by the European Union).

To describe the prevalence of leisure-time physical exercise and sedentary behavior among Chinese elderly. A face-to-face questionnaire survey was carried out in Disease Surveillance Points System (DSPs) and Nonger county in Xinjiang autonomous region to collect information on non-communicable diseases related risk factors. Information on frequency and duration of leisure-time moderate-intensity and vigorous-intensity physical activity was collected by Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ). Multi-stage stratified random sampling method was used to select individuals aged 18 and over to be interviewed. A total of 15 193 individuals aged 60 and over were included in the analysis. Sample was weighted to represent the population of Chinese elderly. We analyzed the percentages of those who did not engage in leisure-time moderate-intensity and vigorous-intensity physical activity, those who engaging in leisure-time moderate-intensity at least 30 minutes per day and at least three days per week or equivalent (regular exercise) and those who engaged in leisure-time moderate-intensity at least 30 minutes per day and at least five days per week or equivalent (active exercise). Sedentary time and time spending on watching television were also analyzed. Percentage of those who did not engage in leisure-time physical activity was 85.4% (95% CI:83.5%-87.3%)among Chinese elderly. Chinese elderly exhibited low prevalence of leisure-time activity with 12.0% (95%CI:10.0%-13.1%)for regular exercise and with 9.9% (95%CI: 8.5%-11.3%) for active exercise. Elderly living in urban areas engaged more regular exercise (23.8%, 95%CI:20.7%-26.9%) or active exercise (20.5%, 95%CI:17.9%-23.1%) than those living in rural areas(P < 0.05). Elderly with higher education or higher household income exhibited higher prevalence of leisure-time physical activity when compared to those with lower education or lower income (P < 0.05). Furthermore, Chinese elderly spent 4.2 hours (95%CI:4.1-4.4 hours) per day in sedentary behaviors and 105.1 minutes (95%CI:100.6-109.6 minutes) per day in watching television (P < 0.05). Those living in urban areas, with higher education or higher household income would spend more time in sedentary behaviors or watching television, compared to those living in rural areas, with lower education or lower income (P < 0.05). Low prevalence in leisure-time physical exercise appeared in the Chinese elderly, especially in those living in the rural areas.

BackgroundEvidence on the relation between leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in older adults is based primarily on clinical trials of physical exercise programs in institutionalized persons and on cross-sectional studies of community-dwelling persons. Moreover, there is no evidence on whether leisure-time sedentary behavior (LTSB) is associated with HRQoL independently of LTPA. This study examined the longitudinal association between LTPA, LTSB, and HRQoL in older community-dwelling adults in Spain.MethodsProspective cohort study of 1,097 persons aged 62 and over. In 2003 LTPA in MET-hr/week was measured with a validated questionnaire, and LTSB was estimated by the number of sitting hours per week. In 2009 HRQoL was measured with the SF-36 questionnaire. Analyses were done with linear regression and adjusted for the main confounders.ResultsCompared with those who did no LTPA, subjects in the upper quartile of LTPA had better scores on the SF-36 scales of physical functioning (β 5.65; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.32-9.98; p linear trend < 0.001), physical role (β 7.38; 95% CI 0.16-14.93; p linear trend < 0.001), bodily pain (β 6.92; 95% CI 1.86-11.98; p linear trend < 0.01), vitality (β 5.09; 95% CI 0.76-9.41; p linear trend < 0.004) social functioning (β 7.83; 95% CI 2.89-12.75; p linear trend < 0.001), emotional role (β 8.59; 95% CI 1.97-15.21; p linear trend < 0.02) and mental health (β 4.20; 95% CI 0.26-8.13; p linear trend < 0.06). As suggested by previous work in this field, these associations were clinically relevant because the β regression coefficients were higher than 3 points. Finally, the number of sitting hours showed a gradual and inverse relation with the scores on most of the SF-36 scales, which was also clinically relevant.ConclusionsGreater LTPA and less LTSB were independently associated with better long-term HRQoL in older adults.

BackgroundAlthough it is generally accepted that physical activity reduces the risk for chronic non-communicable disease and mortality, accumulating evidence suggests that occupational physical activity (OPA) may not confer the same health benefits as leisure time physical activity (LTPA). It is also unclear if workers in high OPA jobs benefit from LTPA the same way as those in sedentary jobs. Our objective was to determine whether LTPA and leisure time sedentary behaviour (LTSB) confer the same health effects across occupations with different levels of OPA.MethodsSearches were run in Medline, Embase, PsycINFO, ProQuest Public Health and Scopus from inception to June 9, 2020. Prospective or experimental studies which examined the effects of LTPA or LTSB on all-cause and cardiovascular mortality and cardiovascular disease, musculoskeletal pain, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, arrhythmias and depression among adult workers grouped by OPA (low OPA/sitters, standers, moderate OPA/intermittent movers, high OPA/heavy labourers) were eligible. Results were synthesized using narrative syntheses and harvest plots, and certainty of evidence assessed with GRADE.ResultsThe review includes 38 papers. Across all outcomes, except cardiovascular mortality, metabolic syndrome and atrial fibrillation, greater LTPA was consistently protective among low OPA, but conferred less protection among moderate and high OPA. For cardiovascular mortality and metabolic syndrome, higher levels of LTPA were generally associated with similar risk reductions among all OPA groups. Few studies examined effects in standers and none examined effects of LTSB across OPA groups.ConclusionsEvidence suggests that LTPA is beneficial for all workers, but with larger risk reductions among those with low compared to high OPA jobs. This suggests that, in our attempts to improve the health of workers through LTPA, tailored interventions for different occupational groups may be required. More high-quality studies are needed to establish recommended levels of LTPA/LTSB for different OPA groups.Protocol registrationPROSPERO #CRD42020191708.

Physical activity (PA) has been consistently associated with enhanced quality of life. The tight schedule of duty of health care workers may predispose them to physical inactivity and psychosocial morbidities which most of them tend to ignore while rendering services to others. The prevalence of depression among Nigerian health care workers and its association with PA is not known. This study investigated the levels of leisure-time and occupational PA and their association with depression among health care providers in a Nigerian tertiary hospital setting. The research was a cross-sectional survey of 734 health care providers. The Godin-Shephard Leisure Time Physical Activity Questionnaire, Occupational Physical Activity Questionnaire and the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale were used to assess leisure-time PA, occupational PA and depression respectively. Data obtained were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics at α= 0.05. The mean age of participants was 39.6 ± 9.4 years (range 22-57 years). Nearly half of the health care providers (46.2%) reported low participation or insufficient leisure-time PA that could provide substantial health benefits, while 20.2% participated in leisure-time PA that could give some health benefits and 33.7% participated in leisure-time PA that could give substantial health benefits. Sitting/standing were the main occupational PAs of the majority (96.2%) of the health workers. The overall prevalence for depression was 11.4%. There was a significant association between leisure-time PA and depression (χ 2 =18.9, p= 0.016). There was no significant association between occupational PA and depression. There is low participation in leisure-time PA among health care workers and this is linked with depression. Efforts to improve participation in leisure-time PA among workers may help to relieve their depression symptoms. KEY WORDS : leisure time, occupation, physical activity, depression

Physical activity (PA) has been consistently associated with enhanced quality of life. The tight schedule of duty of health care workers may predispose them to physical inactivity and psychosocial morbidities which most of them tend to ignore while rendering services to others. The prevalence of depression among Nigerian health care workers and its association with PA is not known. This study investigated the levels of leisure-time and occupational PA and their association with depression among health care providers in a Nigerian tertiary hospital setting. The research was a cross-sectional survey of 734 health care providers. The Godin-Shephard Leisure Time Physical Activity Questionnaire, Occupational Physical Activity Questionnaire and the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale were used to assess leisure-time PA, occupational PA and depression respectively. Data obtained were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics at α= 0.05. The mean age of participants was 39.6 ± 9.4 years (range 22-57 years). Nearly half of the health care providers (46.2%) reported low participation or insufficient leisure-time PA that could provide substantial health benefits, while 20.2% participated in leisure-time PA that could give some health benefits and 33.7% participated in leisure-time PA that could give substantial health benefits. Sitting/standing were the main occupational PAs of the majority (96.2%) of the health workers. The overall prevalence for depression was 11.4%. There was a significant association between leisure-time PA and depression (χ2 =18.9, p= 0.016). There was no significant association between occupational PA and depression. There is low participation in leisure-time PA among health care workers and this is linked with depression. Efforts to improve participation in leisure-time PA among workers may help to relieve their depression symptoms.&#x0D; KEY WORDS: leisure time, occupation, physical activity, depression

This cross-sectional study analyzed the association of leisure-time physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior (SB), nonleisure PA and SB, and total PA and SB in different time segments of the day with mental health among Dutch adolescents and young adults. A total of 881 participants aged 16-25years completed an online survey. Mental health was assessed using the Mental Health Inventory-5, and participants also reported sex, age, and income. They filled out a questionnaire of types of PA and SB for each hour of the day. Activities were categorized into nonleisure and leisure, during the morning, afternoon, evening, and for the whole day. Participants (52.8% female, on average 20.8y) generally engaged in more leisure-time PA and SB during weekends compared with weekdays, and more nonleisure activities on weekdays. Associations varied between time segments and days of the week. Positive associations of leisure-time and total PA during the whole day and evenings with mental health were observed on weekdays. Total, leisure-time, and nonleisure-time SB were associated with worse mental health. Nonleisure PA was not associated with mental health. Leisure-time PA was found to have a favorable association with mental health, particularly in the evenings of weekdays and afternoons of weekend days. On the other hand, leisure SB was associated with poorer mental health in most of the time segments analyzed, and nonleisure SB in the evenings was also related to worse mental health. The type and timing of PA and SB behaviors play an important role in the relationship with mental health.

To describe self-reported physical activity (PA) patterns in the various domains (school, home, transport, leisure time) and intensity categories (walking, moderate PA, vigorous PA) in European adolescents. Furthermore, self-reported PA patterns were evaluated in relation to gender, age category, weight status category and socio-economic status (SES). Cross-sectional study. Ten European cities. In total, 3051 adolescents (47·6 % boys, mean age 14·8 (sd 1·2) years) completed an adolescent-adapted version of the validated International Physical Activity Questionnaire. The total sample reported most PA during leisure time (485 min/week) and least PA at home (140 min/week). Boys reported significantly more school-based PA (P < 0·001), leisure-time PA (P = 0·003), vigorous PA (P < 0·001) and total PA (P = 0·002) than girls, while girls reported more home-based PA (P < 0·001) and walking (P = 0·002) than boys. Self-reported PA at school (P < 0·001), moderate PA (P < 0·001), vigorous PA (P < 0·001) and total PA (P < 0·001) were significantly higher in younger age groups than in older groups. Groups based on weight status differed significantly only in leisure-time PA (P = 0·004) and total PA (P = 0·003), while groups based on SES differed in all PA domains and intensities except transport-related PA and total PA. The total sample of adolescents reported different scores for the different PA domains and intensity categories. Furthermore, patterns were different according the adolescents' gender, age, weight status and SES.

Does an Increase in Walking and Cycling Translate into a Higher Overall Physical Activity Level?

BackgroundPhysical inactivity is a known risk factor for cardiovascular disease, but it is unclear if total and leisure time activity have different impact on the risk of myocardial infarction and stroke. In this cohort, we aimed to investigate the associations between both total and leisure time physical activity in detail, and the risks of myocardial infarction and stroke, both overall and for men and women separately.MethodsWe assessed the association between total and leisure time physical activity on the risk of myocardial infarction and stroke in a cohort of 31,580 men and women through record linkages from 1997–2016. We used Cox proportional hazards regression models to estimate hazard ratios (HR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) based on detailed self-reported physical activity. In the adjusted analyses, we included age, sex, body mass index, level of education, cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, diabetes, lipid disturbance and hypertension as potential confounders.ResultsWe identified 1,621 incident cases of myocardial infarction and 1,879 of stroke. Among men, there was an inverse association between leisure time activity and myocardial infarction in the third tertile compared to the first (HR: 0.78; 95% CI: 0.62–0.98; p for trend = 0.03). We also found an inverse association between leisure time activity and stroke in the third tertile compared to the first (HR: 0.78; 95% CI: 0.61–0.99; p for trend = 0.04), while the corresponding HR for stroke among women was 0.91; 95% CI: 0.74–1.13. We found no significant association between total physical activity and MI (HR: 1.12; 95% CI: 0.93–1.34) or stroke (HR: 1.14 95% CI: 0.94–1.39) comparing the highest to the lowest tertile in men. Women in the highest tertile of total physical activity had a 22% lower risk of myocardial infarction compared to the lowest tertile (HR: 0.78; 95% CI: 0.63–0.97; p for trend = 0.02) and an 8% (95% CI: 0.87–0.98) reduced risk of myocardial infarction with each 1 METh/day increase of leisure time physical activity.ConclusionTotal physical activity was inversely associated with the risk of myocardial infarction in women, while leisure time physical activity was inversely associated with the risk of myocardial infarction and stroke in men.

We aimed to evaluate the association between leisure-time physical activity (PA) and mortality risk in adults with major chronic diseases. A total of 170,579 adults with major chronic diseases aged 30–84 years from the U.S. National Health Interview Surveys (1997–2014) with linkage to the National Death Index (NDI) through December 31, 2015 were included in this study. During a median follow-up of 7.25 years, 36,914 adults with chronic diseases died from all causes, 8,767 died from cardiovascular disease (CVD), and 9,090 died from cancer. Compared with participants with no leisure-time PA, those with a low level (10–59 min/week) of total leisure-time PA had a 23% [hazard ratio (HR) 0.77, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.73–0.82] reduced risk of all-cause mortality. Adults with higher levels of leisure time had more reduced risk of all-cause mortality, as well as CVD-specific and cancer-specific mortality. Adults with leisure-time PA ≥ 1,500 min/week had more reduced risk of CVD-specific mortality (61%) but less reduced risk of cancer-specific mortality (29%) compared with the reduced risk of all-cause mortality (43%). There was an inversely non-linear dose-response relationship between leisure-time PA and all-cause and cause-specific mortality. Reduced risk of all-cause and cancer-specific mortality between leisure-time light-to-moderate PA and vigorous-intensity PA time were largely comparable. Low and high levels of leisure-time PA showed substantial survival benefits compared with no leisure-time PA in adults with major chronic diseases. The light-to-moderate-intensity leisure-time PA is largely comparable with vigorous PA to provide survival benefits for all-cause and cancer-specific mortality.

ObjectivesThis study aimed to investigate associations between occupational physical activity patterns (physical work demands linked to job title) and leisure time physical activity (assessed by questionnaire) with cardiorespiratory fitness (assessed...

IntroductionThe relationship between physical activity (PA) and positive mental health (PMH) has been studied mainly by either concentrating on total PA or focusing on leisure time PA. This study investigated whether total PA and PA domains of leisure time, commuting and occupational PA and screen time sitting at home were associated with PMH. MethodsThe study used a national population study, the FinHealth 2017 Study that included the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS) as a measurement for PMH. Of all (n = 10305, of whom 10247 were eligible) invited, 58.1% (5952) participated in health examination and were given a questionnaire including the WEMWBS. A total of 5337 (52.1% of the eligible sample, 89.7% of the health examination participants) returned the questionnaire. The WEMWBS scale was adequately completed by 5090 participants (55.6% women, mean age 55.5 years). Low, moderate and high level of PMH categories were formed. Leisure time, occupational and commuting PA domains were assessed separately and together as a total PA index. Also, screen time sitting at home was measured. Binary logistic regression models were utilized to estimate the odds ratios for having low PMH compared with moderate PMH and separately for having high PMH compared with moderate PMH. The models were estimated both with and without adjustment for potential confounders. ResultsPhysical inactivity (total PA) was associated with lower levels of PMH. Some of the PA domains were strongly associated with low PMH; leisure time physical inactivity and long screen time sitting at home were strongly related to higher odds of low PMH. Commuting PA was associated with high PMH. ConclusionsThe study highlights the importance of PA with relation to PMH among adults. Especially, physical inactivity was strongly associated with low PMH. As low levels of PMH can potentially present a risk for mental ill-health, this study suggests it is important to increase PA among the least active population.

Objective Physical inactivity has been hypothesized as an underlying factor for the association between shift work and adverse health outcomes. We compared leisure-time and occupational physical activity and sedentary behavior between day, night, and non-night shift workers. Methods We identified 612 day workers, 139 night shift workers and 61 non-night shift workers aged 18-65 years (54% men) in two Danish studies: the New method for Objective Measurements of physical Activity in Daily living (NOMAD) and the Danish Physical ACTivity cohort with Objective measurements (DPhacto) between 2011-2013. Sedentary behavior, light, and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity were measured using an accelerometer. Physical activity was expressed as percentage of leisure and work time spent in each activity. Linear regression analyses were used to test differences in physical activity and sedentary behavior between day, night, and non-night shift workers. Results No differences in leisure-time sedentary behavior and physical activity were observed between day and shift workers (P>0.05). Non-night shift workers spent 7.2% [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 2.3-12.1) more time in occupational sedentary behavior than day workers and 5.9% (95% CI -10.1- -1.7) and 1.9% (95% CI -3.7- -0.2) less time in occupational light and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, respectively. Compared to day workers, night shift workers spent 4.3% (95% CI 2.4-6.1) more time at work in uninterrupted sedentary periods of ≥30 minutes. Conclusions Shift workers had similar leisure-time physical activity patterns as day workers, but were more sedentary at work. Future research should elucidate whether occupational physical inactivity and sedentary behavior contributes to shift work-related adverse health effects.