Leisure-Time, Occupational, and Household Physical Activity among Professional, Skilled, and Less-Skilled Workers and Homemakers

doi:10.1006/pmed.1999.0619

Preventive Medicine

Volume 30, Issue 3, March 2000, Pages 191-199

https://doi.org/10.1006/pmed.1999.0619 Get rights and content

Abstract

Background. Adults in lower status occupations are at higher risk of premature cardiovascular disease, for which physical inactivity is a major risk factor. While lower rates of leisure-time physical activity have been found to be associated consistently with lower income and education levels, the association between occupational and home-based physical activity with membership of different occupational categories is not well understood.

Methods. An urban-representative population data set derived from a self-completion questionnaire was used to examine both self-reported leisure-time physical activity and a combined measure of occupational/home-based physical activity of adult less-skilled, skilled, and professional workers and homemakers (3795 males; 4140 females). χ² analyses, ANOVA, and logistic regressions were used to examine the associations between occupational group membership and physical activity.

Results. After adjustment for age, body mass index, education, country of birth, marital status, and smoking, less-skilled workers were less likely to report any form of leisure-time physical activity. However, occupational category was not a strong predictor of participation in combined vigorous occupational/home physical activity. Homemakers and those in lower status occupations were less likely to report participation in vigorous leisure-time physical activity sufficient for cardiorespiratory fitness. With the inclusion of time spent in combined vigorous occupational/home physical activity, there was no longer an association of activity with occupational status for males. However, for females the association remained.

Conclusions. The assessment of occupational and household physical activity in addition to leisure-time activity may be important for understanding associations between occupational categories, physical activity, and increased levels of health risk and for the development of physical activity promotion strategies.

References (38)

A Bauman et al.
Recent trends and socio-demographic determinants of exercise participation in Australia
Comm Health Stud
(1990)
CC White et al.
The behavioral risk factor surveys: IV. The descriptive epidemiology of exercise
Am J Prev Med
(1987)
AC King et al.
Increasing exercise among blue-collar employees: the tailoring of worksite programs to meet specific needs
Prev Med
(1988)
MT Richardson et al.
Comprehensive evaluation of the Minnesota leisure time physical activity questionnaire
J Clin Epidemiol
(1994)
AJ McMichael et al.
Mortality risks in Australian men by occupational groups, 1968–1978. Variations associated with differences in drinking and smoking habits
Med J Aust
(1982)
M Niknian et al.
Use of population-based data to assess risk factor profiles of blue and white collar workers
J Occup Med
(1991)
SR Leeder et al.
Current mortality, morbidity and disability from cardiovascular disease in Australia
Med J Aust
(1987)
AJ Dobson et al.
Occupational differences in ischemic heart disease mortality and risk factors in Australia
Am J Epidemiol
(1985)
Physical Activity and Health: A Report of the Surgeon General
(1996)
RS Paffenbarger et al.
Work activity of longshoremen as related to death from coronary heart disease and stroke
N Engl J Med
(1970)

J Cassell et al.

Occupation and physical activity and coronary heart disease

Arch Int Med

(1971)

RS Paffenbarger et al.

Work activity and coronary heart mortality

N Engl J Med

(1975)

LF Moller et al.

Physical activity, physical fitness, and cardiovascular risk factors

Dan Med Bull

(1991)

ML Slattery et al.

Leisure time physical activity and coronary heart disease death. The US railroad study

Circulation

(1989)

N Owen et al.

The descriptive epidemiology of a sedentary lifestyle in adult Australians

Int J Epidemiol

(1992)

S Bennett

Cardiovascular risk factors in Australia: trends in socioeconomic inequalities

J Epi Comm Health

(1995)

AS Leon et al.

Physical inactivity

J Rutenfranz et al.

Work load and demanded physical performance capacity under different industrial working conditions

Cited by (175)

The relationship between occupational physical activity and self-reported vs measured total physical activity
2019, Preventive Medicine Reports
Citation Excerpt :
As a result, differences in total physical activity are not observed but domain specific differences (leisure, travel and occupational) do exist. These findings are consistent with previous research showing that individuals in occupations that require little physical activity (professional-type/ higher-status occupations) tend to do more leisure time physical activity, and the opposite is true with individuals in occupations that require a lot of physical activity (white/blue-collar occupation) tend to do little leisure time activity (Kirk and Rhodes, 2011; Caban-Martinez et al., 2007; Popham and Mitchell, 2006; Salmon et al., 2000). Physical activity has been shown to improve chronic disease morbidity and mortality, yet additional research is needed to understand how physical activity during different domains of daily living such as occupation, active transport, household chores and leisure time activity influence overall physical activity levels.
Despite the well-established benefits of physical activity (PA), a large portion of U.S. adults are not meeting recommended health-based guidelines. Although PA occurs in several domains, population-based studies tend to focus on leisure-time PA, with few studies examining occupational activity (OA) level as a separate determinant of overall PA.
Data were obtained from the 2014–2016 Survey of Health of Wisconsin (SHOW). Currently employed SHOW participants (n = 822) were categorized into OA level categories. Bivariate analyses and multinomial logistic regression analyses were used to identify predictors and to test associations between OA and odds of meeting total PA guidelines using both self-reported and accelerometer-based data.
Individuals with high OA level jobs tended to be males (p < 0.01), current smokers (p < 0.01), and have low education (p < 0.01). When measured by self-report, a greater proportion of individuals in high OA jobs (89%) met the physical activity guidelines compared to those in medium (78%) and low (76%) OA jobs (p = 0.01). Further, adjusted odds of doing some PA vs meeting PA guidelines were higher for low OA vs. high OA level (OR = 2.40, 95% CI 1.46–3.94, p < 0.01). This trend was not observed when PA was measured via accelerometer (OR = 1.00, 95% CI 0.62–1.60, p = 0.99).
Correlations between low, intermediate, and high OA and levels of overall PA varied by measurement type. Further research is needed to improve PA measurements within subdomains such as OA and to examine the tradeoffs between OA and leisure-time PA and relationships with health.
The association between income and leisure-time physical activity is moderated by utilitarian lifestyles: A nationally representative US population (NHANES 1999–2014)
2018, Preventive Medicine
Citation Excerpt :
As persons of lower SES are more likely to be employed in physically demanding jobs (Caban-Martinez et al., 2007; Salmon et al., 2000; Van Domelen et al., 2011), not accounting for occupational-related PA when assessing the link between low SES and LTPA may be introducing measurement error into the estimates. Indeed, the studies that have assessed the link between SES and LTPA after accounting for occupational-related PA have shown mixed findings (Salmon et al., 2000; Wolin and Bennett, 2008; Finger et al., 2012). While accounting for occupation-related PA may help to better clarify associations as a function of different domains of overall energy expenditure, it might also introduce bias.
The objective of this study was to determine whether the relationship between income and leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) persists after accounting for a person's utilitarian PA (all non-LTPA), sociodemographic characteristics and transportation PA. Data were from eight cycles (1999–2014) of the nationally representative samples of the US adult population from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (n = 35,239). Whether the poverty income ratio (0–1.3, 1.3–1.86, 1.86+ [reference]) was associated with minutes of LTPA (moderate, vigorous) after stratifying for utilitarian PA (sedentary, light, moderate, and vigorous) was assessed in multiple linear regressions adjusted for age, sex, race, education, marital status, weight status, hours worked, and minutes of transportation-related PA in the past week. Likelihood of meeting national physical activity recommendations was also assessed in multiple logistic regressions adjusting for the covariates described. For both sedentary and light utilitarian PA levels, compared to the reference, persons living in households of the lowest poverty income ratio were consistently associated with approximately 17–30 less minutes of moderate LTPA minutes per week, and 20–25 less minutes of vigorous LTPA across all survey cycles. Compared to the reference, the likelihood of meeting national PA recommendations was approximately 31–55% less for these households. The known association between lower income and lower LTPA persist, but is the most persistent and consistent for those with less active utilitarian (such as sedentary) lifestyles. Interventions aimed at increasing LTPA among people with low income and sedentary utilitarian lifestyles whether or not they are in the workforce are particularly needed.
Socioeconomic inequalities in employees’ health-enhancing physical activity: Evidence from the SHAHWAR cohort study in Iran
2023, PLoS ONE
Do caregivers' perceived constraints influence children's outdoor play in urban public spaces in China? An empirical study based on the leisure constraint theory
2023, Current Psychology
Why Do Romantic Relationships Affect Physical Activity? An Analysis of the Time Use of Couples and Singles Over a 3-Day Period
2023, Journal of Physical Activity and Health
Self-reported morbidities and lifestyles of agricultural and non-agricultural workers in Brazil: a comparative analysis between 2013 and 2019
2023, Ciencia e Saude Coletiva

View all citing articles on Scopus

^☆: We thank the National Heart Foundation of Australia for permission to use data from the 1989 Risk Factor Prevalence Survey. Jo Salmon is a recipient of the Deakin University Postgraduate Research Award. This study was supported by a grant from the Commonwealth Department of Health and Family Services, as part of the Active 2000 Health Goals & Targets Projects, a collaborative program between Vicfit and Deakin University.

¹: To whom reprint requests should be addressed at School of Health Sciences, Deakin University, 221 Burwood Hwy, Burwood, Victoria 3125. Fax: 61-3-9244 6017. E-mail: [email protected].

View full text

Regular ArticleLeisure-Time, Occupational, and Household Physical Activity among Professional, Skilled, and Less-Skilled Workers and Homemakers☆

Abstract

Comm Health Stud

Am J Prev Med

Prev Med

J Clin Epidemiol

Mortality risks in Australian men by occupational groups, 1968–1978. Variations associated with differences in drinking and smoking habits

Med J Aust

Use of population-based data to assess risk factor profiles of blue and white collar workers

J Occup Med

Current mortality, morbidity and disability from cardiovascular disease in Australia

Med J Aust

Occupational differences in ischemic heart disease mortality and risk factors in Australia

Am J Epidemiol

Physical Activity and Health: A Report of the Surgeon General

Work activity of longshoremen as related to death from coronary heart disease and stroke

N Engl J Med

Occupation and physical activity and coronary heart disease

Arch Int Med

Work activity and coronary heart mortality

N Engl J Med

Physical activity, physical fitness, and cardiovascular risk factors

Dan Med Bull

Leisure time physical activity and coronary heart disease death. The US railroad study

Circulation

The descriptive epidemiology of a sedentary lifestyle in adult Australians

Int J Epidemiol

Cardiovascular risk factors in Australia: trends in socioeconomic inequalities

J Epi Comm Health

Physical inactivity

Work load and demanded physical performance capacity under different industrial working conditions

Regular Article
Leisure-Time, Occupational, and Household Physical Activity among Professional, Skilled, and Less-Skilled Workers and Homemakers☆