Attaching metabolic expenditures to standard occupational classification systems: perspectives from time-use research

Occupation classification model based on DistilKoBERT: using the 5th and 6th Korean Working Condition Surveys

Background

Accurate occupation classification is essential in various fields, including policy development and epidemiological studies. This study aims to develop an occupation classification model based on DistilKoBERT.

Methods

This study used data from the 5th and 6th Korean Working Conditions Surveys conducted in 2017 and 2020, respectively. A total of 99,665 survey participants, who were nationally representative of Korean workers, were included. We used natural language responses regarding their job responsibilities and occupational codes based on the Korean Standard Classification of Occupations (7th version, 3-digit codes). The dataset was randomly split into training and test datasets in a ratio of 7:3. The occupation classification model based on DistilKoBERT was fine-tuned using the training dataset, and the model was evaluated using the test dataset. The accuracy, precision, recall, and F1 score were calculated as evaluation metrics.

Results

The final model, which classified 28,996 survey participants in the test dataset into 142 occupational codes, exhibited an accuracy of 84.44%. For the evaluation metrics, the precision, recall, and F1 score of the model, calculated by weighting based on the sample size, were 0.83, 0.84, and 0.83, respectively. The model demonstrated high precision in the classification of service and sales workers yet exhibited low precision in the classification of managers. In addition, it displayed high precision in classifying occupations prominently represented in the training dataset.

Conclusions

This study developed an occupation classification system based on DistilKoBERT, which demonstrated reasonable performance. Despite further efforts to enhance the classification accuracy, this automated occupation classification model holds promise for advancing epidemiological studies in the fields of occupational safety and health.

Lifetime occupational and recreational physical activity and risk of lymphoma subtypes. Results from the European Epilymph case-control study

Physical activity is known to convey protection against several cancers. However, results on the risk of lymphoma overall and its subtypes have been inconsistent. The aim of this study was to investigate occupational and recreational physical activity in relation to risk of lymphoma subtypes adjusting for established occupational risk factors. We applied standardized tools to assess energy expenditure at work and in recreational physical activities to the questionnaire information on lifetime work and exercise history in 1117 lymphoma cases, including Hodgkin lymphoma, and B-cell (including chronic lymphocytic leukemia, and multiple myeloma) and T-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) subtypes, and 1207 controls who took part in the multicentre European EpiLymph case-control study. We calculated the risk of lymphoma (all subtypes), B-cell NHL and its most represented subtypes, and Hodgkin's lymphoma (all subtypes) associated with weekly average Metabolic Equivalent of Task (MET-hours/week) and cumulative MET-hours of lifetime recreational, occupational, and total physical activity, with unconditional logistic regression and polytomous regression analysis adjusting by age, centre, sex, education, body mass index, history of farm work and solvent use. We observed an inverse association of occupational, and total physical activity with risk of lymphoma (all subtypes), and B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma among women, and an upward trend in risk of Hodgkin's lymphoma with recreational and total physical activity among men, for which we cannot exclude chance or bias. Our results suggest no effect of overall physical activity on risk of lymphoma and its subtypes.

Effects of the energy balance transition on bone mass and strength

Chronic positive energy balance has surged among societies worldwide due to increasing dietary energy intake and decreasing physical activity, a phenomenon called the energy balance transition. Here, we investigate the effects of this transition on bone mass and strength. We focus on the Indigenous peoples of New Mexico in the United States, a rare case of a group for which data can be compared between individuals living before and after the start of the transition. We show that since the transition began, bone strength in the leg has markedly decreased, even though bone mass has apparently increased. Decreased bone strength, coupled with a high prevalence of obesity, has resulted in many people today having weaker bones that must sustain excessively heavy loads, potentially heightening their risk of a bone fracture. These findings may provide insight into more widespread upward trends in bone fragility and fracture risk among societies undergoing the energy balance transition.

Physical Activity Levels (PAL) in US Adults-2019

PURPOSE

Physical activity levels (PAL) are associated with mortality risk and were instrumental in estimating national energy requirements, but we are unaware of population-based estimates of PAL in US adults. Thus, we conducted a nationwide survey using a validated previous-day recall method to estimate PAL and the behavioral determinants of low and higher PAL.

METHODS

Participants from the AmeriSpeak panel 20-75 yr of age ( N = 2640) completed Activities Completed over Time in 24-hours previous-day recalls. PAL values were estimated as the average metabolic equivalent value over 24 h. Recalls were conducted on randomly selected days in October and November 2019. Survey sample design weights were applied to reflect the US population.

RESULTS

Mean age was 45.3 yr, 51% were female, 67% were non-Hispanic White, and 37% had a body mass index of ≥30 kg·m -2 . US adults reported a mean PAL of 1.63 (95% confidence interval, 1.60-1.65), and 39% (37%-42%) of adults reported PAL ≥1.6 on a given day. Men reported higher PAL than women (1.67 vs 1.59), and older adults reported lower PAL. Adults with PAL <1.4 spent 81% (12.1 h·d -1 ) of their waking day sedentary and 19% (2.7 h·d -1 ) in total physical activity. Adults with PAL considered to be "active"(1.6-1.89) spent only 49% (8.0 h·d -1 ) of their waking day sedentary, and 51% (8.3 h·d -1 ) physically active.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study provides novel estimates of PAL in a nationwide sample of US adults and a description of the type and intensity of sedentary and physically active behaviors contributing to low and higher PAL. These findings may inform public health messages aimed at increasing physical activity in adults and potentially contribute to obesity prevention efforts.

Physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and sleep in the Thai population: A compositional data analysis including 135,824 participants from two national time-use surveys

PURPOSE

To determine the amounts of time spent in physical activity (PA), sedentary behaviour (SB), and sleep in the Thai population, as well as their sociodemographic correlates and changes over time.

METHODS

We analysed cross-sectional data collected in a population-representative, stratified random sample of 135,824 Thais aged 10 years and over as part of the two most recent Thai National time-use surveys (2009 and 2015). Daily activities reported by the participants were coded using the International Classification of Activities for Time-Use Statistics (ICATUS) and categorised as PA, SB, or sleep.

RESULTS

In the latest survey, participants spent on average the largest amount of time sleeping (geometric mean [g] = 9.44 h/day; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 9.42, 9.47), followed by PA (g = 8.60 h/day; 95% CI: 8.55, 8.64) and SB (g = 5.96 h/day; 95% CI: 5.93, 6.00). The time spent in PA was higher on weekdays, while the amounts of SB and sleep were higher on weekends (p < 0.05). Males, older age groups, and unemployed people spent less time in PA and more time in SB, compared with other population groups (p < 0.05). We found a relatively large increase in SB (mean difference [d] = 39.64 min/day; 95% CI: 36.18, 42.98) and decrease in PA (d = 54.33 min/day; 95% CI: -58.88, -49.30) over time. These findings were consistent across most sociodemographic groups, with the most concerning shifts from active to sedentary lifestyle found among people with a higher education degree and on weekends.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings revealed a shift to a more sedentary lifestyle in the Thai population. Public health interventions should focus on improving time use among males, older age groups, and unemployed people, while preventing the rapid decrease in PA and increase in SB among those with a higher education degree and on weekends.

Investigating Wrist-Based Acceleration Summary Measures across Different Sample Rates towards 24-Hour Physical Activity and Sleep Profile Assessment

Wrist-worn wearable sensors have attracted considerable research interest because of their potential in providing continuous, longitudinal, non-invasive measurements, leading to insights into Physical Activity (PA), sleep, and circadian variability. Three key practical considerations for research-grade wearables are as follows: (a) choosing an appropriate sample rate, (b) summarizing raw three-dimensional accelerometry data for further processing (accelerometry summary measures), and (c) accurately estimating PA levels and sleep towards understanding participants' 24-hour profiles. We used the CAPTURE-24 dataset, where 148 participants concurrently wore a wrist-worn three-dimensional accelerometer and a wearable camera over approximately 24 h to obtain minute-by-minute labels: sleep; and sedentary light, moderate, and vigorous PA. We propose a new acceleration summary measure, the Rate of Change Acceleration Movement (ROCAM), and compare its performance against three established approaches summarizing three-dimensional acceleration data towards replicating the minute-by-minute labels. Moreover, we compare findings where the acceleration data was sampled at 10, 25, 50, and 100 Hz. We demonstrate the competitive advantage of ROCAM towards estimating the five labels (80.2% accuracy) and building 24-hour profiles where the sample rate of 10 Hz is fully sufficient. Collectively, these findings provide insights facilitating the deployment of large-scale longitudinal actigraphy data processing towards 24-hour PA and sleep-profile assessment.

Interdisciplinary applications of human time use with generalized lexicons

Time use studies quantify what people do, over particular time intervals. The results of these studies have illuminated diverse and important aspects of societies and economies, from populations around the world. Yet, these efforts have advanced in a fragmented manner, using non-standardized descriptions (lexicons) of time use that often require researchers to make arbitrary designations among non-exclusive categories, and are not easily translated between disciplines. Here we propose a new approach, assembling multiple dimensions of time use to construct what we call the human chronome, as a means to provide novel interdisciplinary perspectives on fundamental aspects of human behaviour and experience. The approach is enabled by parallel lexicons, each of which aims for low ambiguity by focusing on a single coherent categorical dimension, and which can then be combined to provide a multi-dimensional characterization. Each lexicon should follow a single, consistent theoretical orientation, ensure exhaustiveness and exclusivity, and minimize ambiguity arising from temporal and social aggregation. As a pragmatic first step towards this goal, we describe the development of the Motivating- Outcome- Oriented General Activity Lexicon (MOOGAL). The MOOGAL is theoretically oriented towards the outcomes of activities, is applicable to any human from hunter-gatherers to modern urbanites, and deliberately focuses on the physical outcomes which motivate the undertaking of activities to reduce ambiguity from social aggregation. We illustrate the utility of the MOOGAL by comparing it with existing economic, sociological and anthropological lexicons, showing that it exhaustively covers the previously-defined activities with low ambiguity, and apply it to time use and economic data from two countries. Our results support the feasibility of using generalized lexicons to incorporate diverse observational constraints on time use, thereby providing a rich interdisciplinary perspective on the human system that is particularly relevant to the current period of rapid social, technological and environmental change.

cardiac autonomic control and neural arousal as indexes of fatigue in professional bus drivers

Background

Bus driving is a mentally demanding activity that requires prolonged attention to ensure safety. The aim of the study was to assess mental fatigue caused by driving a public bus and to find a profile of workers at higher risk.

Methods

We evaluated changes of critical flicker fusion (CFF) (index of central arousal) and heart rate variability (HRV) (index of autonomic balance) in a 6-hour driving shift on a real route, in 31 professional bus drivers, and we tested the influence of personal factors such as sleep quality, BMI, and age. Paired t-test was used to test differences of CFF and HRV between both initial and final phase of driving, while multiple linear regression tested the influence of personal variables on the indexes of mental fatigue.

Results

Results showed that CFF significantly decreased after 6 hours of bus driving (41.91 Hz, sd 3.31 vs. 41.15 Hz, sd 3.15; p = 0.041), and heart rate significantly decreased in the final phase of driving, with respect to the initial phase (85 vs. 78 bpm, p = 0.027). Increasing age (beta = -0.729, p = 0.022), risk of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (beta = -0.530, p = 0.04), and diurnal sleepiness (beta = -0.406, p = 0.017) showed a significant effect on influencing mental fatigue.

Conclusion

Elderly drivers at higher risk of sleep disorders are more prone to mental fatigue, when exposed to driving activity. Monitoring indexes of central arousal and autonomic balance, coupled with the use of structured questionnaires can represent a useful strategy to detect profile of workers at higher risk of mental fatigue in such duty.

Occupational determinants of physical activity at work: Evidence from wearable accelerometer in 2005-2006 NHANES

Occupation determines workers' physical activity (PA) in the workplace, an important health behavior contributing to health outcomes. However, self-reported measure limits our understanding of how occupational tasks differentiate workers' PA in terms of the type, frequency, intensity, and duration. In addition, accurate estimation of occupation-based PA during workers' actual working hours requires precise work schedule information. To address these limitations, this study employs data on accelerometer-monitored PA and work schedule from the 2005-2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). It asks two questions: How do occupations determine PA among regular daytime workers in the United States? Second, how large a share of PA difference between two occupations is attributable to differences in the implicit occupational tasks, relative to workers' demographic, health preconditions, and socioeconomic attributes? Calculating PA during the 9-to-5 period among daytime regular workers on weekdays and conducting Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition analysis, we yield insights into the occupational determinant of both PA volume (total activity counts) and fragmentation (bouts of activities). Worksite health promotion can utilize the objective occupation-PA link and design occupation-tailored interventions, which is currently underdeveloped in the United States. Moreover, our findings shed light on the physical nature of occupation, suggesting a fruitful step to reconcile the documented mixed findings on occupation-based PA and health outcomes in future studies.

The forgotten agriculture-nutrition link: farm technologies and human energy requirements

In the quest to reduce global under- and malnutrition, which are particularly high among smallholder farmers, agriculture-nutrition linkages are receiving increasing attention. Researchers have analyzed the link between the quantity and diversity of food that farmers produce and nutritional outcomes but paid limited attention to a third agriculture-nutrition link: the link between how food is produced and nutritional outcomes. This neglect persists despite the majority of smallholder farmers relying on hand tools for farming, which implies heavy physical work and, thus, high energy requirements. To address this research gap, this study compares the energy requirements of farm households in rural Zambia that are characterized by three different levels of mechanization: hand tools, animal drought power, and tractors. 1638 days of detailed time-use and nutrition data were collected from 186 male and female adults and boys and girls during different seasons (land preparation, weeding, and harvesting/processing) using an innovative picture-based smartphone app called “Timetracker”. This data served to calculate different proxies for physical activity and energy requirements using “Ainsworth’s Compendium of Physical Activities”. The results suggest that detailed time-use data offers great potentials to study physical activity and energy requirements. The findings show strong linkages between farm technologies, physical activity levels, and energy requirements, suggesting that this agriculture-nutrition link deserves more scientific and political attention to reduce under- and malnutrition among smallholder farmers.

Response of the Cardiac Autonomic Control to Exposure to Nanoparticles and Noise: A Cross-Sectional Study of Airport Ground Staff

Airport activity causes the emission of particulate matter and noise, two environmental contaminants and potential health hazards, particularly for the personnel operating nearby taxiways. We explored the association between exposure to fine/ultrafine particles (UFPs) and noise with heart rate variability (HRV), an early indicator of cardiovascular autonomic response, among a sample of airport ground staff. Between May and June 2018, thirty-four male operators (mean age = 43 years and SD = 6.7) underwent personal monitoring of exposure to nanoparticles and noise, and HRV during their work activity. We conducted univariate and multivariate analysis to test the effect of UFP and noise exposure HRV. Total Lung Deposition Surface Area (LDSA) was significantly associated with a decrease in HRV Total Power and Triangular index (β = -0.038 p = 0.016 and β = -7.8 × 10-5, p = 0.042, respectively). Noise peak level showed an opposite effect, which was significant for Total Power (β = 153.03, p = 0.027), and for Triangular index (β = 0.362, p = 0.035). Further investigation is warranted to clarify the effect of the concurrent exposure to UFPs and noise on early changes of cardiac autonomic regulation.

Trends and correlates of meeting 24-hour movement guidelines: a 15-year study among 167,577 Thai adults

Background

Time spent in physical activity (PA), sedentary behaviour (SB), and sleep always takes up the whole day. New public health guidelines combining recommendations for PA, SB, and sleep have been issued in several countries. Thailand was the first country to release the 24-h guidelines for adults. Currently, there is no evidence on the population prevalence of meeting 24-h movement guidelines in Thailand. This study, therefore, aimed to determine 15-year trends and associations of meeting 24-h movement guidelines among Thai adults.

Method

We analysed cross-sectional data from 2001, 2004, 2009, and 2015 Thai Time-Use Surveys, coded using the International Classification of Activities for Time-Use Statistics (ICATUS). All ICATUS-based activities were categorised into moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA), light PA (LPA), SB, and sleep based on a previously developed classification system. A total of 167,577 adult participants were included. The participants were classified according to the Thai 24-h movement guidelines into meeting or not meeting the following criteria: 1) ≥150 min/week of MVPA; 2) interrupting SB every 2 h; 3) sleeping 7–9 h per day; and 4) adhering to all three guidelines.

Results

In 2015, the prevalence of adults who met the MVPA, SB, sleep, and overall recommendations was 81.7, 44.6, 56.4, and 21.3%, respectively. A significant linear increase was found for the prevalence of meeting the SB recommendation, while the prevalence meeting the MVPA, sleep, and overall recommendations was lowest in 2001, peaked in 2004 or 2009, and declined in 2015. The lowest odds for meeting the 24-h guidelines were found among males, those living in urban areas, inhabitants of Bangkok and South Thailand, unemployed, and those with low education level.

Conclusions

Despite promising trends in the prevalence of meeting PA, SB, and sleep recommendations, a majority of Thai adults still do not meet the overall 24-h movement guidelines. Further actions are needed to promote more MVPA, less SB, and adequate sleep in Thai adults, particularly among males, those living in urban areas, inhabitants of Bangkok and South Thailand, unemployed, and those with low education level.

Standardised criteria for classifying the International Classification of Activities for Time-use Statistics (ICATUS) activity groups into sleep, sedentary behaviour, and physical activity

BACKGROUND

Globally, the International Classification of Activities for Time-Use Statistics (ICATUS) is one of the most widely used time-use classifications to identify time spent in various activities. Comprehensive 24-h activities that can be extracted from ICATUS provide possible implications for the use of time-use data in relation to activity-health associations; however, these activities are not classified in a way that makes such analysis feasible. This study, therefore, aimed to develop criteria for classifying ICATUS activities into sleep, sedentary behaviour (SB), light physical activity (LPA), and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), based on expert assessment.

METHOD

We classified activities from the Trial ICATUS 2005 and final ICATUS 2016. One author assigned METs and codes for wakefulness status and posture, to all subclass activities in the Trial ICATUS 2005. Once coded, one author matched the most detailed level of activities from the ICATUS 2016 with the corresponding activities in the Trial ICATUS 2005, where applicable. The assessment and harmonisation of each ICATUS activity were reviewed independently and anonymously by four experts, as part of a Delphi process. Given a large number of ICATUS activities, four separate Delphi panels were formed for this purpose. A series of Delphi survey rounds were repeated until a consensus among all experts was reached.

RESULTS

Consensus about harmonisation and classification of ICATUS activities was reached by the third round of the Delphi survey in all four panels. A total of 542 activities were classified into sleep, SB, LPA, and MVPA categories. Of these, 390 activities were from the Trial ICATUS 2005 and 152 activities were from the final ICATUS 2016. The majority of ICATUS 2016 activities were harmonised into the ICATUS activity groups (n = 143).

CONCLUSIONS

Based on expert consensus, we developed a classification system that enables ICATUS-based time-use data to be classified into sleep, SB, LPA, and MVPA categories. Adoption and consistent use of this classification system will facilitate standardisation of time-use data processing for the purpose of sleep, SB and physical activity research, and improve between-study comparability. Future studies should test the applicability of the classification system by applying it to empirical data.

Daily metabolic expenditures: estimates from US, UK and polish time-use data

BACKGROUND

Behaviour has diverse economic, social and health consequences. Linking time spent in different daily activities to energy expenditure (EE) is one way of investigating the health and physiological consequences of behaviour and identifying targets to improve population health and well-being.

METHODS

We estimated behaviour-related EE for respondents to time use surveys (TUS) from three countries: UK 2001, Poland 2012 and US 2003-13. The Harmonised Multinational Time Use Survey (MTUS) activity categories were matched to MET estimates from the 2011 Compendium of Physical Activities. We attach METs values to each successive activity in the TUS, together with both the original UK, Polish and US activity classifications and the 68-category MTUS activity classification. We used TUS estimates of activity durations across 24-h to estimate the Physical Activity Level (PAL) for respondents from the three countries and the average time spent and MET values for different activity categories.

RESULTS

PAL values ranged from 1.59 in the US to 1.74 in Poland. The main sources of daily EE from PA were paid and unpaid work activities. Discretionary PA accounted for only a very small part (~ 3%) of adult daily energy expenditures. Using the harmonised MTUS 68-activity classification reduced the variability of the aggregate PAEE measure by ~ 20%, but the patterns of association between key demographics (age, sex, educational attainment) were unaffected. TUS data were further used to (1) identify sources of daily PA, and (2) assess adherence to physical activity guidelines (PAG) on a single-day basis. Estimated adherence levels were similar to those reported from other TUS as well as frequency based estimates.

CONCLUSIONS

Comparative studies of energy expenditure based on harmonised time use activity categories could provide insight into the relative importance of different activities for energy expenditure across different countries and demographic groups. However, new observational studies combining TUS data with accelerometer, direct observation and other measures of activity intensity are required for more accurate MET assignments to activity categories in TUS.

Testing compliance to WHO guidelines for physical activity in Flanders insights from time-use diaries

Background

Regular physical activity decreases the risk for numerous non-communicable diseases. The World Health Organization has suggested physical activity (PA) guidelines that, based on previous research, would provide health benefits to those who comply. The first guideline for health benefits suggests 150 min of moderate PA or equivalent per week. The guideline for additional health benefits suggests 300 min of PA or equivalent per week. The objective of this paper is to analyze to what extent these two WHO PA guidelines for adults are met in the Belgian region of Flanders. Furthermore, we are interested to see which groups are more or less likely to meet the PA guidelines.

Methods

Crosstables and logistic regressions are used on a sample of 3028 adults in the Belgian region of Flanders. All respondents filled in a 7-day time-diary in which they continuously recorded all their activities.

Results

Firstly, men are more likely than women to comply to both PA guidelines. Secondly, living with a partner increases the odds to comply to the guidelines. For men, this is the case for both guidelines, while for women, this only applies to the first guideline. Thirdly, women with a young child have lower odds to comply to the guidelines, while having a young child doesn’t have an effect for men.

Conclusion

Previous research on meeting PA guidelines in Flanders shows diverging results. Time-diary data allows researchers to strictly follow the WHO definition when operationalizing compliance to PA guidelines. There is a need for future research that combines time-diaries with a PA questionnaire and accelerometer data to gain more insights on the benefits and pitfalls of both methodologies.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s13690-019-0341-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Developing a new device for continuously recording, in vivo, the excretion rate of sweat (perspiration) in humans

BACKGROUND

Some methodologies used for evaluating sweat production and antiperspirants are of a stationary aspect, that is, most often performed under warm (38°C) but resting conditions in a rather short period of time. The aim is to develop an electronic sensor apt at continuously recording sweat excretion, in vivo, during physical exercises, exposure to differently heated environments, or any other stimuli that may provoke sweat excretion.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A sensor (20 cm² ) is wrapped under a double-layered textile pad. Fixed onto the armpits, these two arrays of electrodes are connected to electronic system through an analog multiplexer. A microcontroller is used to permanently record changes in the conductance between two electrodes during exposure of subjects to different sweat-inducing conditions or to assess the efficacy of applied aluminum hydrochloride (ACH)-based roll-ons at two concentrations (5% and 15%).

RESULTS

In vitro calibration, using a NaCl 0.5% solution, allows changes in mV to be related with progressively increased volumes. In vivo, results show that casual physical exercise leads to sweat excretions much higher than in warm environment (37 or 45°C). Only, an exposure to a 50°C environment induced comparable sweat excretion. In this condition, sweat excretions were found similar in both armpits and both genders. Decreased sweat excretions were recorded following applications of ACH, with a dose effect.

CONCLUSION

Developing phases of this new approach indicate that usual method or guidelines used to determine sweat excretions in vivo do not reflect true energy expenditure processes. As a consequence, they probably over-estimate the efficacy of antiperspirant agents or formulae.

Physical activity levels of allied health professionals working in a large Australian metropolitan health district - an observational study

PURPOSE

The aim of this observational cross-sectional study was to determine if allied health professionals working in a large metropolitan health district were meeting the minimal physical activity (PA) recommendations and the proportion that occupational PA contributed to the recommended PA levels. A secondary aim was to determine possible relationships between self-report questionnaire measures of PA and PA measured by accelerometry.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Allied health professionals, working in the Sydney Local Health District (SLHD) in 2016-2017, completed the Active Australia Survey (AAS), Occupational Sitting and Physical Activity Questionnaire (OSPAQ), International Physical Activity Questionnaire Long form (IPAQ-L), and wore the ActiGraph GT1M accelerometer for 7 days consecutively.

RESULTS

Based on accelerometry results, allied health professionals (N=126) spent a mean (SD) of 51 (23) minutes in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA)/day, representing 171% of the total recommended MVPA/day, with work contributing 76% to this recommendation. Participants walked a mean of 10,077 (2,766) steps/day, meeting 100% of the recommended 10,000 steps/day, with work contributing 54% to this recommendation. Sedentary behaviors were predominant throughout the entire day and work day. Compared with the ActiGraph MVPA time measurements, AAS MVPA time showed a fair level of agreement [intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC)=0.44, P<0.01], while OSPAQ and IPAQ-L MVPA time showed no agreement (ICC=0.05, P=0.27; ICC=0.13, P=0.10, respectively).

CONCLUSION

Allied health professionals working in a large metropolitan health district met the daily PA recommendations based on accelerometry measures but tended to overreport their MVPA on self-report questionnaires.

Active work, passive leisure? Associations between occupational and non-occupational physical activity on weekdays

Research from recent years reports that physical inactivity is a major risk factor for global mortality. Several societal trends in the last decades are likely to have contributed to the increasing prevalence of sedentary lifestyles. Physical activity throughout the day has become much less self-evident and much more a matter of personal effort. Its presumed discretionary character made leisure the time par excellence to compensate for daily inactivity in non-discretionary time. The historical dichotomy of leisure and paid work led to a large body of research assessing the association between occupational and non-occupational physical activity, almost always equated with leisure time physical activity. This study investigates the relationship between occupational and non-occupational physical activity and adds to existing knowledge by breaking down non-occupational physical activity to physical activity in different non-occupational domains of life. Using Belgian time-use data from 2013 coupled with metabolic equivalent of task scores, reveals no direct association between occupational physical activity and physical activity in the domains of leisure, household work and family care, and transport on weekdays after controlling for sociodemographic characteristics. The association between women's occupational physical activity and physical activity in household work and family care is the sole exception. The results suggest that a holistic, naturalistic approach to physical activity taking into account that individuals have to synchronize needs other than paid work (e.g. reproductive and social productive needs) with the institutional and cultural temporal structures of the society they live in, is more appropriate.

Visualizing Physical Activity Patterns among Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Pilot Study

Regular physical activity relates to physical and mental functioning in older people, and promoting physical activity has the potential to substantially reduce functional decline and improve well-being. Despite this, investigations of the physical activity quotient through participation in functional activities in everyday life have traditionally gained limited focus among older populations compared to leisure-time physical activity and exercise. Considering the accumulated evidence of the health benefits of low-intensity physical activity, exploring and measuring such activities in this population is highly relevant. The aim of this study was to visualize and describe older people’s physical activity patterns in daily life using a time-geographic approach in combination with the estimation of metabolic equivalents (METS). To exemplify the new method, a sample of nine retired men (65–82 years old, mean age 76.4 ± 5.8) with no homecare services from the municipality was recruited. In order to enable a visual analysis of the physical activity patterns in daily life, we developed the VISUAL-PA software, which is a visual analysis tool that includes METS to account for intensity and enables the analysis of distinct types and domains of physical activity. The VISUAL-PA software creates graphic outputs of physical activity patterns that enable the identification, visualization, and analysis of distinct types and intensities of physical activity in addition to sedentary behavior. The use of VISUAL-PA can contribute to a broader understanding of the complexity in physical activity patterns among older adults in terms of dimensions such as activity patterns and habits, domains, and intensity level. To strengthen the public health strategies that promote health and an active lifestyle, additional knowledge about physical activity patterns is necessary. Moreover, the visualization of physical activity can enable reflections on and awareness of activity habits and preferences, and thus facilitate behavior changes in older individuals.